Barrett (sometimes spelled Barret or Barratt) is a surname that has been associated with several different people, places and organisations.
Barrett is a popular surname in south and west Ireland. It is most common in County Mayo and County Galway as well as County Cork. The Gaelic version of the name is Barόid in the south and Bairéid in the west. It translates to "intellectual son". The Barretts of Ireland first appeared following the Norman invasion, hired as mercenaries from Wales. They were quickly assimilated into Irish culture. As an English surname, it is thought to derive from an Old English word meaning 'quarrelsome' or 'deceitful', or from a corruption of the Norman personal name Barnard, Bernhard or Berold. The surname is common in England, especially in Norfolk. Another translation for Barrett is "warlike people."
There is an old phrase concerning the Barretts that goes: "The Barretts are more Irish than the Irish themselves." This is in reference to how incorporate the Barretts were into the families of Ireland, having married into a large percentage of older Irish families.
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