The Barnett Shale was named after John W. Barnett who settled in the area in the late 1800s naming the local Barnett Stream. During the early 20th century during a geological mapping exercise, geologists noted a thick black organic-rich shale in an outcrop close to the stream. The shale was consequently named the Barnett Shale.

The Barnett Shale has been an important source of conventional oil and gas reservoirs in the area, but it was thought that a few of the thicker sections close to Fort Worth would be able to support economic drilling. It was not until the 1980s when horizontal drilling technologies offered a new view on the potential of the Barnett Shale. Massive drilling did not begin until gas prices increased in the late 1990s. The large volumes and the success that smaller energy companies have seen from the Barnett Shale has now started to attract larger companies, like Exxon, which had previously not been interested.