SHARRATT
The surname Sharratt is of English origin, arising within the British Isles. It is a patronymic name that originally identified the descendants of an individual known as Scirheard, a personal name recorded in Old English. The elements of the name—scir meaning “bright” or “fair” and heard meaning “hardy” or “strong”—combine to convey the sense of a “bright and hardy” person. Over centuries the spelling and pronunciation evolved, giving rise to the modern form Sharratt.
The earliest surviving record of the name appears in the “Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire” dated to 1298. There, a witness named William Shirard is listed during the reign of King Edward I, who reigned from 1272 to 1307 and was known as “The Hammer of the Scots.” This evidence confirms that the surname was in use in the late thirteenth century.
In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the name appears in a variety of spellings. Examples include Richard Schirard (1323, Staffordshire), William Sherard (1337, Staffordshire), William Sherratt (1578, Cheshire), and Jane Sharratt (1578, London). By the early sixteenth century the spelling Sharratt was already established, yet other variants continued to coexist. These include Sherratt, Sherrett, Sherrott, Sharrard, Sherrard, and Sherred.
Marriage records provide further evidence of the surname’s persistence. An entry dated 18 October 1608 records the union of Hugh Sharratt and Mary Beamyshe at St. Andrew's by the Wardrobe, London. Such documents demonstrate that bearers of the name were active in civic life across England.
The Sharratt family is associated with a particular coat of arms. Descriptions of the blazon often mention two boars passant, coloured gold, set against a blue field, with an ermine canton. This heraldic device is typically shown on a shield and is recognisable as one of the symbols most linked to the name.
Modern genealogical research indicates that the surname remains relatively rare, with a disproportionate concentration found in the northern regions of England. This geographic pattern is consistent with the earliest medieval origins of the family name and suggests a long-standing presence in those counties.
Typical given names associated with the Sharratt surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- Ian
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Barbara
- Emma
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Julie
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Pauline
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Charrett
- Charat
- Charret
- Sharrat
- Cherrett
- Cherrette
- Sarratt
- Scarratt
- Sharad
- Sharath
- Sharatt
- Sharett
- Shariat
- Sharra
- Sharrad
- Sharras
- Sharret
- Sharrett
- Sharrott
- Sherat
- Sheratt
- Sheratte
- Sheret
- Sherett
- Sherrat
- Sherrate
- Sherrath
- Sherratt
- Sherret
- Sherrett
- Shiret
- Shirett
- Shirrat
- Shirret
- Shorratt
- Shratt
- Skarratt
- Cherett
- Cherret
- Sarrat
- Scaratt
- Scarrat
- Serratt
- Shara
- Shariati
- Sharlatt
- Sharott
- Sharrar
- Sharrot
- Shart
- Sharvatt
- Sherrad
- Surratt
- Chart
- Sharda
- Short
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Sharratt in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 2,333 people named Sharratt in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,699th most common surname in Britain. Around 36 in a million people in Britain are named Sharratt.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Sharratt
- Harry Sharratt - Football player (1929 to 2002)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.