Bret

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A masculine first name of French or English origin, borne by various notable people ; an old word for a native of Brittany in northwestern France
2. A common male given name of Breton or English origin ; a dated term for someone from the Brittany region of France
3. Used as a male first name in English-speaking countries ; an obsolete label for a person born in or descended from the people of Brittany

Etymology: Brittany takes its name from the Britons, Celtic-speaking people who crossed the Channel from southwestern Britain into the peninsula of Armorica during the early medieval period, roughly the fifth and sixth centuries. Their new home became "Bretagne" in French, and its people became "Bretons." The name "Bret" comes from that same root, and it was used as a personal name and surname, originally for someone from Brittany or of Breton descent. In English, the forms "Brett" and "Bret" are the same name spelled two ways. Surnames of this kind were often nicknames that described where a person came from, so a medieval man called Bret might have been a newcomer from Brittany or the son of one. Over time the origin of the name faded from everyday memory, and it became simply a first name.