Home › Baby Names Directory › Barnett

Barnett

♂ Boy

Pronounced BAR-net /ˈbɑːrnɛt/Medium

Meaning: Barnett is an English surname used as a given name. The main source is Old English 'bærnet', 'land cleared by burning' (a place where woodland was burned to make fields), so the name literally points to cleared, burnt-over land. It can also arise as a variant of Barnabas-based surnames in some families.Medium

In 30 seconds: Barnett is an English surname name meaning 'land cleared by burning' — a spot where woods were burned for farmland. It served as a rare American boys' name from the late 1800s (said 'BAR-net').

💕 Browse more names

Origin MediumEnglish

MeaningBarnett is an English surname used as a given name. The main source is Old English 'bærnet', 'land cleared by burning' (a place where woodland was burned to make fields), so the name literally points to cleared, burnt-over land. It can also arise as a variant of Barnabas-based surnames in some families.

U.S. rank (2015)#12288 ↗ Rising

2015 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1923

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,279

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Barnett began as an English place and family name from Old English bærnet, 'land cleared by burning' — high or wooded ground opened for farming by fire. Like many such surnames it was occasionally bestowed as a first name, sometimes to carry a mother's family line, and it may also stand in for Barnabas-derived surnames in particular families.

As a given name Barnett runs through the American record from the eighteen-eighties, faintly strongest around the nineteen-twenties, always just a few dozen boys a year. It reads as a sturdy, old-fashioned surname name; while cousins like Barrett and Bennett have surged, Barnett itself has stayed quiet and vintage rather than trendy.

Did you know? The name comes from Old English 'bærnet', literally 'a burning' — the practice of clearing woodland by fire to open up new fields, which then became a place name and a family name.

Overall data confidence 72%

References — Barnett — English surname, Old English 'bærnet' = land cleared by burning

Variations

BarnetBarnette

Nicknames

BarneyBarnBear

Famous Bearers

★Barnett Newman (1905–1970)
American abstract expressionist painter known for his large color-field canvases and 'zip' stripes.

If you like Barnett…

Barrett— a closely related English surname name with the same solid sound

Bennett— a fashionable -ett surname name Barnett resembles

Barnaby— shares the Barn- opening and vintage-English feel

Garnett— another period surname name with the -ett ending

Explore names like Barnett

By themeenglish vintage surname-name

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Barnett mean?

Barnett is an English surname meaning 'land cleared by burning', from Old English bærnet.

How do you pronounce Barnett?

It's said BAR-net /ˈbɑːrnɛt/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Barnett a boy or girl name?

Barnett is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Barnett?

Barnett has always been uncommon in the U.S., a vintage surname name most seen in the early twentieth century.