Harriet

H4A1R1R1I1E1T1
/ˈhæɹiɛt/

proper noun

A female given name from the Germanic languages.

CommonScrabble 10

Meanings

proper nounHarriet (plural Harriets)

plural Harriets

  1. A female given name from the Germanic languages.

    Harriet, by the way, is a very sprightly name. It is the female of Harry, and is identified in my imagination with I know not what of the power of being lively and saucy, without committing the sweetness of womanhood.

    1833, Leigh Hunt, A Year of Honey-Moons, Court magazine and monthly, E. Bull, published 1833, page 33
    1 more example

    I found myself wanting to explain it to her, this middle-aged woman with the kind of haircut you call a hairdo, which needed to be set in rollers every night, who had a name like Agnes or Harriet, a name that even predated my mother's generation.

    1995, Elizabeth Wurtzel, Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America, Riverhead Books, published 1995, →ISBN, page 14

Origin

  1. FrenchHenriette
  2. EnglishHarriet

Anglicized form of French Henriette, feminine form of Henri (“Henry”), popular in England in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian Ха́риет
  • Ха́риет (Háriet)female given name
Māori Hāriata
  • Hāriatafemale given name
Spanish Enriqueta
  • Enriquetafemale given name
Cite this entry
APA

Harriet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Harriet

MLA

“Harriet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Harriet. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Harriet,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Harriet.

Source: Harriet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.