Contents [hide]

Garrett History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Garrett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Although the Garrett surname came to Britain with the Normans, it derives from the Germanic personal names Gerard, or Gerald, composed of the elements "gar," or "ger," meaning "spear," "hard," meaning "brave," or "strong," and "wald," meaning "rule." The Anglo-Norman surname Garrett in Ireland was often Mac Gerailt, and was used as a synonym of Fitzgerald.

Early Origins of the Garrett family

The surname Garrett was first found in County Carlow (Irish: Cheatharlach) a small landlocked area located in the province of Leinster in the South East of Ireland, where some of the name may have come from Anglicized versions of MacOrcachta, believed to be descended from Cathal, brother of Teige Mor, of the powerful O'Connors of Connacht. However, it is thought that the majority of this name in Ireland are of English (Norman) stock.

Early History of the Garrett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Garrett research. Another 27 words (2 lines of text) covering the year 1598 is included under the topic Early Garrett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Garrett Spelling Variations

In the days before Gaelic or English gained any significant semblance of standardization, the scribes who created documents simply recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in the Middle Ages many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Garrett family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Garrett, Garratt, MacGarrett, McGarraty, Garret, Garrat, Garet, Garitt, Garatt and many more.

Early Notables of the Garrett family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Thomas Garrett, who was a Mayor of Dublin and an Alderman in 1598

Garrett World Ranking

In the United States, the name Garrett is the 238^th most popular surname with an estimated 111,915 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Garrett is ranked the 742^nd most popular surname with an estimated 5,234 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Garrett is the 542^nd popular surname with an estimated 1,292 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks Garrett as 667^th with 9,875 people. 4

Garrett migration to the United States +

Many Irish families left the English-controlled Ireland in the 19th century. Early immigrants were primarily after land and the opportunity of living a life entirely of their own fashioning. In the 1840s, this pattern of immigration changed as the Great Potato Famine struck Ireland. Hundreds of thousands left the diseased and starving island with little expectations but many hopes. By this time there was very little available land in the east, so many immigrants joined the movement for the western frontier lands, or settled in established urban centers. Irish immigrants not only made enormous contributions to the rapid development and population of North America, but they also brought with them a rich cultural heritage. Immigration and passenger ship lists show some important early immigrants bearing the name Garrett:

Garrett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. William Garrett, (Garret), brick layer who arrived in Jamestown, Virginia aboard the ship "Discovery" in 1607 5
William Garrett, aged 22, who landed in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "George" 6
Richard Garrett, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1630 6
Mr. Hugh Garrett, British settler from Essex who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, found in Boston 7
Mrs. Garrett, British settler from Essex who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, found in Boston 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Garrett Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Catherine Garrett, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 6
William Garrett, who arrived in Virginia in 1713 6
Susannah Garrett, who landed in Virginia in 1714 6
John Garrett, who landed in Virginia in 1714 6
Isaac Garrett, who landed in Virginia in 1714 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Garrett Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Garrett, who settled in New York, NY in 1803
Hen Garrett, aged 33, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 6
S Ann Garrett, aged 27, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 6
James Garrett, aged 45, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 6
Hugh Garrett, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Garrett migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Garrett Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Richard Garrett U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 228 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York 8
Mr. Ronald Lee Garrett U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 8
Mr. William Garrett U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 8
William Garrett, who arrived in Quebec in 1784

Garrett Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Isaac Garrett, who arrived in Canada in 1831
Townsend Garrett, who arrived in Canada in 1831
Mr. Owen Garrett, aged 7 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Goliah" departing 21st May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 18th July 1847 but he died on board 9
Augustus S Garrett, who arrived in Esquimalt, British Columbia in 1862

Garrett migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Garrett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Garrett, British convict who was convicted in Shropshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Thomas Garrett, (b. 1800), aged 20, Irish tabacconist who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. William Garrett, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
William Garrett, English convict from Wiltshire, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on April 1st, 1822, settling in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. George Garrett, (b. 1800), aged 22, English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 13th July 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1835 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Garrett migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Garrett Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

W W G Garrett, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Gertrude 15
Ellen Garrett, aged 18, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 15
Mr. Garrett, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gertrude" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st October 1841 16
Mrs. Garrett, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gertrude" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st October 1841 16
Child Garrett, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gertrude" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st October 1841 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Garrett migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 17

Garrett Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Thomas Garrett, (b. 1615), aged 20, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Matthew" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 18
Mr. Richard West Garrett, aged 20 who arrived in St. Kitts (St Christopher) aboard the ship "Amity" in 1635 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Garrett (post 1700) +

Myles Lorenz Garrett (b. 1995), American football defensive end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League
Thomas Lesslie "Tommy" Garrett (1938-2015), also known as Snuff Garrett, an American record producer whose most famous work was during the 1960s and 1970s
Henry Adrian Garrett Jr. (1943-2021), nicknamed "Pat" and "Smokey", an American Major League Baseball player and coach
James W. Garrett (1930-2018), American football player, coach, and scout
Helen Elizabeth Garrett (1963-2016), American professor of law and an academic administrator, 13th President of Cornell University (2015-2016)
Robert Garrett (1875-1961), American two time gold and two time silver Olympic medalist for athletics in the 1896 games and two time bronze medalist for 1900 games 19
Brigadier-General Robert C. Garrett (1886-1981), American Commanding General Hawaiian Seacoast Artillery Command (1941-1945) 20
Mario Garrett (b. 1959), American professor, and Chairman of the Department of Gerontology, at San Diego State University
Patrick "Pat" Floyd Garrett (1850-1908), American "Old West" lawman, and customs agent, best known as the sheriff who tracked down and shot the escaped outlaw Billy the Kid
Thomas Garrett (1789-1871), American Quaker merchant, credited with helping more than 2,700 slaves escape to freedom
... (Another 113 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Garrett family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Basil Farmer Garrett (1919-1941), English Able Seaman from Hanwell, Ealing, England, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 21

North Sea Flood

John Garrett, British worker aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" who survived the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie)

Paul Isaac Garrett (1947-1988), American Flight Attendant from Napa, California, America, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died 22

USS Arizona

Mr. Orville Wilmer Garrett, American Shipfitter Second Class from Missouri, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 23

The Garrett Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Semper fidelis
Motto Translation: Always faithful.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 77)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1822
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Athletes - Famous Olympic Athletes, Medalists, Sports Heroes. (Retrieved 2014, February 20) Robert Garrett. Retrieved from http://www.olympic.org/content/olympic-athletes/generic-athlete-page/?athleteid=58193
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 5) Robert Garrett. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Garrett/Robert_C./USA.html
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
Pan Am Flight 103's victims: A list of those killed 25 years ago | syracuse.com. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/pan_am_flight_103s_victims_a_list_of_those_killed_25_years_ago.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html