Beebe
An English surname from a place name, originally meaning someone from Beeby in Leicestershire.
The #2,441 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 20,795 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is generally taken from Beeby, a village near Leicester. In old records it appears in forms like Beeby, Beebe, and Beaby, showing normal medieval spelling variation. The village name itself is usually treated as a local place-name source for the surname rather than a word with a transparent modern meaning.
History
Bardsley explicitly links Beebe to Beeby, and notes early spellings such as Henricus Bibbe in 1397. The surname spread into other parts of England and later into the United States, where Beebe became the usual spelling. Related spellings such as Beeby and Beeby-like forms appear in the historical record, especially in English counties and in later transatlantic usage.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century surname index places Beebe among names derived from the village of Beeby, which was described as being about six miles from Leicester.
From the historical record
“B»ab7.— Local, ■ of Beeby ' ; V. Beebe. BeftolL— Local ; 1. Beech. Beftohami v. Beauchamp.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances