BEAN

Bean is a surname of dual origin within the British Isles, possessing both English and Gaelic roots. In England it derives either from the Old English word bean, signifying the vegetable, or from Middle English bene, meaning friendly or amiable. In Scotland the name is regarded as an Anglicised form of the Gaelic personal name Beathan, a diminutive of be(a)tha, which relates to life.

Early documentary evidence of the name dates back to 1166, when it appears in the Norfolk County Pipe Rolls as Ailwardus Bene during the reign of King Henry XI, who was known as “The Builder of Churches”. The following year, in 1168, a record from Cumberland names Robertus filius Biene, while a 1278 entry from Lancashire records Ricardus filus Bene. By 1301 a Yorkshire document records Juliana Bean.

The first extant Scottish instance of the surname occurs in 1428, in Edinburgh, where a Ferchard Bean is recorded. Over the centuries the spelling of the name has varied, with forms such as Bean(e), Been, McBean, McBain and McBayne appearing in parish registers.

Descriptions of the name’s meaning are commonly associated with beans or related occupations: it may have referred to a bean grower or seller, a topographic identifier for someone living near a bean field, or a nickname assigned to a pleasant individual. The Gaelic variant, derived from ban meaning “white” or “fair”, suggests a descriptive sense. As a personal name, the diminutive Beathan carries the connotation of life or vitality.

In contemporary times the surname is found mainly in the United Kingdom, with baptismal records such as Thomas Bean, son of Francis and Emma Margaret, recorded on 10 May 1840 at St. Andrew’s, Holborn, and marital records including the 1787 union of George Bean and Sarah Payne in Bermondsey. These documents illustrate the enduring presence of the name across the British Isles.

Typical given names associated with the Bean surname

Male

• Andrew
• Christopher
• David
• James
• John
• Michael
• Paul
• Richard
• Robert
• Stephen

Female

• Christine
• Elizabeth
• Emma
• Jacqueline
• Joanne
• Margaret
• Mary
• Nicola
• Patricia
• Sarah
• Susan

Similar and related surnames

Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.

How to communicate the surname Bean in...

Braille

⠃⠑⠁⠝

Morse

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Semaphore

Surname type: From given name or forename

Origin: Celtic

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: Scotland

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: Gaelic

Famous people named Bean

• Sean Bean - Actor
• Colin Bean - Actor (1926 to 2009)
• John Bean - Far-right activist
• Marcus Bean - Football player
• Richard Bean - Playwright
• Ivy Bean - Internet personality (1905 to 2010)
• Charlie Bean - Economist
• William Jackson Bean - Botanist (1863 to 1947)
• Robert Bean - Politician (1935 to 1987)
• Leslie Bean - Cricketer (1906 to 1988)
• Ron Bean - Football player (1926 to 1992)
• Billy Bean - Football player (1915 to 1993)
• Keishen Bean - Bermudian football player
• Ralph Bean - Bermudian football player
• Blenn Bean - Bermudian football player

Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.

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