BEAMAN
Beaman is an English surname with documented origins in both the British Isles and Normandy. It is classed as an occupational name when derived from the Old English words beo “bee” and mann “man”, indicating a person who worked with bees or kept beehives. From the 16th century onward the name appears in several counties, including Leicestershire, Oxfordshire and Norfolk.
Alternate etymologies link the name to the Norman locational surname Beaumont, introduced to England in 1066 by the conquerors. The Norman placename is built from Old French beu meaning “fair, lovely” and mont “hill”. Several English villages became known as Beaumont under Norman influence, particularly in Cumberland, Lancashire and Essex. The earliest instance of the family name, as Rogerius de Belmont, is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.
The notable Norman family of Henry de Beaumont (d. 1340) served three successive kings of England and inherited the long list of grants given to William the Conqueror. Chief among the coats of arms granted to the Beaumonts is one featuring a blue shield semee of fleurs‑de‑lis and a gold lion rampant. The crest on a blue chapeaux bears three gold fleurs‑de‑lis and a gold lion passant. The family motto, “Erectus non elatus”, translates as “Exalted, but not elated”.
Over the centuries, the spelling of the surname has varied. Recorded variants include Beaument, Beumant, Beaman, Bemand and others such as Beeman, Beamond, Beauman and Beamon. These differences arose from regional dialects and the phonetic transcriptions of clerks and scribes.
While most bearers of the name remained in England, migration during the 18th and 19th centuries spread the surname to North America. In the United States it is less common but still present, often retaining the English spelling. No credible sources however suggest that the name is derived from a trumpet, a tree or a cross; those associations fall outside the documented etymological evidence.
Typical given names associated with the Beaman surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Matthew
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Ann
- Carol
- Clare
- Emma
- Helen
- Jane
- Jean
- Julia
- Julie
- Margaret
- Patricia
- Sally
- Samantha
- Sarah
- Yvonne
Similar and related surnames
- Beeman
- Beaumont
- Bement
- Baima
- Baman
- Bahman
- Bamane
- Bahmani
- Bama
- Bamania
- Bamin
- Bamman
- Bammann
- Bammant
- Bamon
- Banman
- Banmann
- Bauman
- Baumane
- Baumann
- Bawman
- Bawmann
- Bayman
- Baymen
- Baymon
- Beamand
- Beamant
- Beamar
- Beamen
- Beament
- Beamin
- Beamon
- Beauman
- Beaumon
- Beemen
- Behman
- Beimen
- Bema
- Beman
- Bemand
- Bemant
- Bemas
- Bemen
- Bemman
- Bemmon
- Benman
- Beuman
- Beyman
- Beymon
- Bhaman
- Biamino
- Boaman
- Boemen
- Bohman
- Bohmann
- Boman
- Bomani
- Bomen
- Bomman
- Booman
- Bouman
- Bouwman
- Boweman
- Bowman
- Bowmann
- Bowmen
- Bowmon
- Boyman
- Buhmann
- Buman
- Bumann
- Byman
- Behmane
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Beaman in...
Braille
⠃⠑⠁⠍⠁⠝
Morse
-.....---.--.
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,326 people named Beaman in the UK. That makes it roughly the 5,913th most common surname in Britain. Around 20 in a million people in Britain are named Beaman.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
