Bever History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Etymology of Bever

What does the name Bever mean?

Bever is a name that was carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bever family lived in Berkshire. The family name, however, is of other geographical derivations, referring to any of several locations in Normandy called Beauvoir. The name is composed of the Old French roots beu, which means fair or lovely, and voir, which means to see, and indicates the bearer's residence in "a place with a fine view." 1 2

Early Origins of the Bever family

The surname Bever was first found in Yorkshire where Ralph de Belueeir was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1170. Later, John de Beauveir was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1204 and William Bever, de Beuver in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1207-1208. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included the following: (Prior) de Beuver (Nottinghamshire), or Beauver (Leicestershire); John de Beauver, Yorkshire; and Thurstan de Beauver, Yorkshire. 4

Another early roll notes: John de Beauver, Yorkshire, Henry III-Edward I: Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. 5

Early History of the Bever family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bever research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bever History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bever Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Bever were recorded, including Beaver, Beavor, Beavers, Beavors, Beavoirs, Beevers and many more.

Early Notables of the Bever family

More information is included under the topic Early Bever Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bever Ranking

In the United States, the name Bever is the 11,597^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Bever migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Bever arrived in North America very early:

Bever Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Isack Bever, age 24, who settled in Virginia in 1635
hack Bever, aged 24, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 7
Jo Bever, aged 24, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Speedwell" 7
Mr. Isack Bever, (b. 1611), aged 24, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Constance" arriving in Virginia in 1635 8
Claes Bever, who arrived in New York in 1658 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bever Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Richard Bever, who arrived in South Carolina in 1711 7
Christina Bever, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 7
Jacob Bever, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 7
Dorothy Bever, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 7

Bever Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Bever, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Bever (post 1700) +

Thomas G. Bever (b. 1939), American Professor of Psychology, Linguistics and Cognitive Science
Thomas Bever Bever (1725-1791), English scholar and civilian, born at Mortimer, Berkshire 9
James Bever, Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Indiana University
Thomas Bever Bever (1725-1791), English scholar and civilian, born at Mortimer, Berkshire 9
Daniel Bever Crane (b. 1936), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Illinois, 1979-85 (22nd District 1979-83, 19th District 1983-85) 10

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 5th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 June. 2019
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, March 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html