ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1060
http://www.s-gabriel.org/1060
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16 Jul 1998
From: Jodi McMaster 

Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel!

You asked about the masculine name "Barrett" as a German given name
between 1050-1400 A.D.  You also indicated you had found the name as one
of a Norse king who settled in German lands.

We were not able to find the king to whom you referred, nor any specific
instances of the name in Germany although there are instances of its use
on the Continent.  Instead, it appears the name originated as an Old
French byname meaning either "brawler" or "cheat," more often the
former.  [1,2]  At that time, it was in the form "Barrat" rather than
spelled as "Barrett."

There is also an unrelated Old Norse name, "Ba/r{dh}r," (the "/"
indicates an accent on the preceding vowel; the {dh} is the letter edh,
which is pronounced like the "th" in "this").  This given name is
recorded in England in the form "Baret" during the 11th century, and
continued into the 13th century, when the form "Bareth" appears. [3]  It
is possible, however, that the pronunciation was more like /barth/ than
the spelling suggests.

Therefore, if you wish to retain a close version of the name "Barrett"
as a given name, we would recommend you change your persona slightly, to
a 11th century Anglo-Scandinavian named "Baret" or "Bareth."  If you
wish to maintain a German persona, you might consider some of the
following, similar sounding, German names [4]:

        Bartel (1386)
        Bernhardt (1253, 1352)
        Berold (1373)
        Bero (1295)
        Bertolf (1135, 1175)
        Bertram (1387)
        Berwicus (1255--this appears to be a Latinized form; it is      
probably "Berwich" in German)


Once you decide which name you'd like to use, we'll be glad to help you
find a suitable second name to go along with it.

We hope this letter has been helpful.  Please write us again if any part
of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. Lindorm Eriksson,
Arval Benicouer, and Talan Gwynek contributed comments and/or research
for this letter.

For the Academy,

   AElfwyn aet Gyrwum
__________________
References:


[1] Clark, Cecily, "Some Early Canterbury Surnames", in Cecily Clark,  
_Words, Names and History: Selected Papers_, p.215 ed. Peter Jackson
Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 1995). 

[2] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_,
s.n. "Barat" (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995). 

[3] Fellows Jensen, Gillian, _Scandinavian Personal Names in
Lincolnshire and Yorkshire_, s.n. "Ba/r{dh}r" (Copenhagen: 1968).

[4] Talan Gwynek, _Medieval German Given Names from Silesia_ (WWW: SCA,
Inc., 1998).