Becher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

Becher is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in Yorkshire. The name is of German origin, however, and is a local name which means "the dweller beside the brook."

Early Origins of the Becher family

The surname Becher was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times well before the Norman Conquest when Duke William invaded England in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Becher family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Becher research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1379 and 1561 are included under the topic Early Becher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Becher Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Becher family name include Becker, Becher and others.

Early Notables of the Becher family

Notables of the family at this time include

Henry Becher (fl. 1561), English translator, Vicar of Mayfield, in the jurisdiction of South Malling1...

Becher Ranking

In the United States, the name Becher is the 16,640^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Becher family to Ireland

Some of the Becher family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Becher migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Becher surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Becher Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Martin Becher, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737 3
Jacob Becher, who arrived in America in 1738 3
Jacob Becher, his wife Anna and five children settled in Carolina in 1738
Hans Becher, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 3
Johann Andreas Becher, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Becher Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johan Becher, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1801 3
Friedrich Becher, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1801 3
Maria Becher, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1801 3
Mr. Wilh. Becher, aged 28, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Auguste Meline"
Mr. Joh. Becher, aged 25, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Hamilton"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Becher (post 1700) +

Henry V. Becher, American Republican politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Bronx County 6th District, 1918, 1919, 1920 4
D. A. Becher, American politician, Mayor of Columbus, Nebraska, 1932 4
Lady Eliza Becher (1791-1872), English actress, daughter of an Irish actor named O'Neill 5
Susanne Becher, German former competitive figure skater, three-time World Junior silver medalist
Martin William Becher (1797-1864), British soldier and steeplechase jockey, eponym of the infamous Becher's Brook obstacle at Aintree Racecourse
Rear Admiral Otto Humphrey Becher CBE, DSO, DSC & Bar (1908-1977), Australian senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy, Flag Officer Commanding Australian Fleet from 1964 to 1965
Alfred Julius Becher (1803-1848), German composer and critic
Ulrich Becher (1910-1990), German author and playwright
Johannes Robert Becher (1891-1958), German politician and poet
Johann Joachim Becher (1635-1682), German chemist
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Becher Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Bis vivit qui bene
Motto Translation: He lives twice who lives well.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 14 June. 2019