Barnett is both a surname and a masculine given name.

Surname

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Barnett is an Anglo-Saxon and Old French surname that came after the Norman Invasion. The original Anglo-Saxon spelling is baernet which means "the clearing of woodland by burning". The Norman version of the surname likely meant 'the son of Bernard', but it could have also been derived from any of the similar sounding Gaulish names.

Given name

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  • Barnett Berry, American research professor
  • Barney Danson (1921–2011), Canadian politician and cabinet minister
  • Barney Frank (born 1940), American retired politician, considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States
  • Barnette Miller (1875–1956), American college professor
  • Barnett Newman (1905–1970), American artist
  • Barnett Slepian (1946–1998), American physician and murder victim
  • Barnett Rosenberg (1926–2009), American chemist, discoverer of the anti-tumour effects of cisplatin
  • Barney Rosset (1922–2012), owner of the publishing house Grove Press, publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Evergreen Review