Meanings
plural Harriets
- 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 331 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
- FrenchHenriette
- EnglishHarriet
Anglicized form of French Henriette, feminine form of Henri (“Henry”), popular in England in the 18th and 19th centuries.
More words from French
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
Harriet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Harriet
“Harriet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Harriet. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Harriet,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Harriet.
Source: Harriet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.