Beaumont
A Norman place-name surname meaning “beautiful hill,” originally used for someone from one of several places called Beaumont.
The #6,888 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 63,293 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Beaumont comes from Old French beau meaning “beautiful” or “fair” and mont meaning “hill” or “mountain.” In literal terms, it meant “beautiful hill.” As a surname, it was first used for people who came from places named Beaumont in Normandy or from English places that later took the same name.
History
The name was brought to England after the Norman Conquest and is associated with several medieval noble lines, including the Beaumonts recorded in Domesday Book. Because there were multiple places called Beaumont in Normandy, the surname could point to more than one local origin. It later spread into England as both a hereditary surname and a place-name-based family name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower notes that the Norman place-name Beaumont appears in several locations, which helps explain why the surname has more than one possible geographic starting point.
From the historical record
“BEAULIEU (Fr.) see Beaulieu in Diet, BEAUMONT (Fr.) see Beaumont in Diet. ' BECK (Ger.) Baker [Dial. Ger. Jec*, M.H.Ger. becke,0.ii.Gev.becko] BECKER (Ger.) Baker [Ger. backer, M^H.Ger. ' becket] BEHREND (Ger.) Bear [f. O.Ger. Berin (with added -d), a dim. form of O.H.Ger. bero,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)