BARROTT
The surname Barrott is a distinctly English name, situated within the linguistic heritage of the British Isles. It is recorded as having been borne by families throughout England from the mid‑thirteenth century onward.
The most widely accepted derivation of Barrott is from the medieval given name Bartholomew. The name Bartholomew itself originates from the Aramaic Bar‑Talmay, where bar means “son” and Talmay is a personal name. Consequently, the surname can be understood to mean “son of Bartholomew.” The popularity of the given name in medieval England produced several mutational forms, among them Barrott.
Other etymological explanations are available, though they are not universally accepted. One possibility points to Germanic personal names brought to England by the Normans, notably Bernhard (from ber(n) “bear” and hard “brave, strong”) or Bernwald (from ber “bear” and wald “rule”). Another hypothesis proposes that the name derives from a Middle‑English nickname barrette meaning trouble, strife or deceit, indicating a quarrelsome or deceitful person. A further conjecture traces the surname to the Old French barette “cap or bonnet”, suggesting it was a metonymic occupational name for a cap maker or seller.
Historical documentary evidence confirms the existence of the surname in the thirteenth century. In the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire a Robert Barate is recorded in 1165, while a Seman Barette appears in the Pipe Rolls of Hampshire in 1207. The earliest attested spelling, that of Matthew Baret, dates to 1150 within the “Social and Economic Documents of London” and takes place during King Stephen’s reign.
Throughout its history the name has appeared in a variety of orthographic forms, including Barrat, Barratt and Barritt, before stabilising as Barrott in modern usage. A notable bearer of a related form was Alfred Barratt (1844‑1881), a philosophical writer and secretary of the Oxford University Commission in 1880.
The Barrott family’s heraldic badge, as recorded, consists of a silver shield bearing three blue lozenge buckles in bend, with a crest depicting a galley whose oars are outstretched in black, and flags in blue. This description aligns with the heraldic tradition of English gentry families who held their name in midst of national history.
Typical given names associated with the Barrott surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- Darren
- David
- Jason
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Steven
- William
Female
- Amanda
- Barbara
- Beryl
- Beverley
- Carole
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Janet
- Julie
- Linda
- Pamela
- Samantha
- Sandra
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Barrott in...
Braille
⠃⠁⠗⠗⠕⠞⠞
Morse
-....-.-..-.-----
Semaphore
There are approximately 317 people named Barrott in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around five in a million people in Britain are named Barrott.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
