Originally Posted by Sapphire Guard
I'm very wary of SW fans going 'George is responsible for this', which many fans apply to anything they don't like.
Not sure why that sentiment is applied to my quote, since I never said I didn’t like the name.

And no specific source, just my sense based on reading a variety of making-of books. J.W. Rinzler’s books are excellent resources, and the “Art of” books cover a lot of ground as well.

On names in particular, Rinzler's book on Star Wars quotes the second draft script, from Jan. 1975, which includes names like Bendu and Utapau, which didn't make it into the original trilogy but were recycled in later movies and series decades later. So I wouldn't be surprised if Lucas had come up with Barriss Offee's name at some point early on, and re-used it when working on AOTC.