เดิมเป็นแบบสั้น ๆ ของชื่อดั้งเดิมที่ขึ้นต้นด้วยองค์ประกอบ beraht meaning "bright, famous". It was borne by the mother of ชาร์ลมาญ in the 8th century, and it was popularized in England by the Normans. It died out as an English name after the Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19th century. The name also appears in southern Germanic legends (often spelled Perchta or Berchta) belonging to a goddess of animals and weaving.
