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Show ContentsBeckett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The ancestors of the Beckett family lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Beckett was a name given to a person with a prominent nose. The Old English word beke refers to the beak of a bird. More rarely, Beckett may be a local type surname, referring to someone who lived beside a stream.

The surname in this case is derived from the Northern Old English word bekke, which means stream and is derived from the Old Norse word bekkr. Also, Beckett may be a local surname referring to settlements called Beckett in Berkshire and Devon.

The Berkshire settlement takes its name from the Old English words beo, which means bee, and cot, which means cottage or shelter. The name of the Devon settlement has the Old English personal name Bicca, which is probably derived from becca, which means pickaxe or mattock, as its first element.

Early Origins of the Beckett family

The surname Beckett was first found in Norfolk and Cheshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Beckett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beckett research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1170, 1653, 1684, 1719, 1738 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Beckett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beckett Spelling Variations

Beckett has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Beckett have been found, including Becket, Beckett, Beckete, Beckette and others.

Early Notables of the Beckett family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Isaac Beckett (1653-1719), an English mezzotint engraver from Kent; one of the first practitioners of the art in England
  • William Becket (1684-1738), the English surgeon and antiquary was born at Abingdon, Berkshire and Isaac Beckett (1653-1719), was a mezzotint engraver, born in Kent in 1653, and apprenticed to a calico...

Beckett World Ranking

In the United States, the name Beckett is the 2,854th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in New Zealand, the name Beckett is ranked the 914th most popular surname with an estimated 808 people with that name. 2 And in the United Kingdom, the name Beckett is the 617th popular surname with an estimated 10,688 people with that name. 3

Ireland Migration of the Beckett family to Ireland

Some of the Beckett family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Beckett migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Becketts to arrive on North American shores:

Beckett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mary Beckett, (Bucket), who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1623 aboard the ship "Anne" 4
  • Stephen Beckett, aged 11, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Francis", with the Pepper (Pepy) family. 4
  • John Beckett, who landed in Virginia in 1650 4
  • Tytus Beckett, who landed in Virginia in 1652 4
  • John Beckett, aged 24, who arrived in Virginia in 1684 4
Beckett Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Beckett, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1721 4
  • Thomas Beckett, who arrived in Virginia in 1727 4
  • Giles Beckett, who landed in New England in 1774 4
Beckett Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Percival Beckett, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1866 4
Beckett Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • James W Beckett, who arrived in Mississippi in 1904 4

Australia Beckett migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Beckett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Beckett, British Convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
  • Mr. Samuel Beckett, (b. 1794), aged 26, British Convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1828 5
  • Mr. Thomas Beckett, English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for life, transported aboard the "England"on 28th April 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Mr. Thomas Beckett, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. Charles Beckett, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 20th August 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Beckett migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Beckett Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Catharine Beckett, (b. 1825), aged 28, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 23rd December 1853 9
  • Mr. Edmund Beckett, (b. 1825), aged 28, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 23rd December 1853 9
  • Miss Catharine Beckett, (b. 1846), aged 7, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 23rd December 1853 9
  • Miss Mary Beckett, (b. 1849), aged 4, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 23rd December 1853 9
  • Mr. Richard Beckett, (b. 1852), aged 1, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 23rd December 1853 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Beckett (post 1700) +

  • Julianne Ethel "Julie" Beckett (1949-2022), née O'Connell, an American teacher and disability rights activist who lobbied for changes to Medicaid that allowed hundreds of thousands of disabled children to be cared for by their families at home
  • Susan Beckett (b. 1960), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Mississippi, 2004 10
  • Stewart Beckett, American Republican politician, Candidate for Connecticut State Senate 4th District, 2010 10
  • Jessica L. Beckett, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Washington, 2004, 2008 10
  • George W. Beckett, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Carolina, 1916 10
  • Edward Ray Beckett Jr. (b. 1935), American politician, Mayor of Athens, Ohio, 1984-87 10
  • Dan M. Beckett, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1948 10
  • Clarence B. Beckett, American Republican politician, Mayor of Calais, Maine, 1935 10
  • Candace Beckett, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 1996 10
  • Benjamin Beckett, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Gloucester County, 1854 10
  • ... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Air New Zealand Flight 901
  • Mr. Desmond William Beckett (1917-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Te Puke, North Island, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 11
HMAS Sydney II
  • Mr. Richard James Beckett (1920-1941), Australian Stoker from Port Sorell, Tasmania, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 12
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. James Beckett, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 13
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Henry Beckett, English Passenger Cook from an unknown location who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 14
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  3. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  4. 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)
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  11. Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
  12. HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
  13. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  14. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
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