Garrett (name)

Garrett is a surname and given name of Germanic and of Old French origins. It is one of the many baptismal surnames to have been derived from the popular names of Gerard and Gerald in 12th Century England. Both of these names were taken to Britain by the conquering Normans and are the Old French versions of ancient Germanic personal names. The name Gerard (or Germanic: Gerhard) is composed of the Germanic elements gēr or gār (meaning "spear") and hard ("brave", "hard" or "strong"), while Gerald is composed of again gēr or gār ("spear") and wald ("to rule") In America, it means "defender" Although Garrett remains predominantly only a surname in England and Ireland, elsewhere in the English-speaking world it has become a popular masculine first name (e.g. in Ireland, and the United States).

Curiously, in addition to the Old English word gār meaning "spear"; Gār also has a corresponding rune (ᚸ) in the (Old English) Anglo-Saxon futhorc, which again has the meaning "spear" (and is transliterated into the modern letter G).

Other surnames derived from Gerard and Gerald include: Gerrard, Garratt, Garret, Garred, Garrad, Garrard, Garrod, Jarrett, Jared, Jarratt, Jarrard, and Jerrold.

The popularity of Garrett as a first name in the United States has risen sharply in the last century, from number 522 in 1908 to a recent peak in 2000 at number 74.

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