Bees History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name is derived from the Old English word "beo," which is modernized as "bee." Accordingly, the name is a nickname for someone who was "busy as a bee."

Early Origins of the Bees family

The surname Bees was first found in Oxfordshire where one of the first records of the name was Walter le Be who was listed there in 1195. A few years later Robert Be was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Yorkshire in 1198. William le Beo was listed in the Assize Rolls of Somerset in 1243. 1

Later, Alicia Bee was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 and Thomas Bee was in 1447 listed in Northumberland and Durham. 2

By 1305 they had moved north, probably in the train of Earl David of Huntingdon, who became King David of Scotland, to Dundee, where they also held estates giving birth to the Scottish Bees. There they adopted the spelling of Bie and settled in Hill in Dundee. Captain Stephen le Bie made payment of his dues in 1305. They later branched to Edinburgh, and also to Boreland of Colvend of Dumfriesshire. 3

Early History of the Bees family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bees research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1621, 1636, 1637, 1660, 1756 and 1940 are included under the topic Early Bees History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bees Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Bees are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Bees include: Bee, Bea, Bie, Bees and others.

Early Notables of the Bees family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Cornelius Bee, English bookseller in London; Little Britain, 1636-1637. "He was the son of Thomas Bee, citizen and haberdasher, of London, whose will was proved May 28th, 1621. He appears to have been a man of some capital, and joined Laurence Sadler, in 1637 in the publication of the Atlas...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bees Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bees family to Ireland

Some of the Bees 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.

Bees migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Bees or a variant listed above:

Bees Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joe Bees, who settled in Somers Island 1635
Thomas Bees, who landed in Maryland in 1670 4

Bees Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Albert Bees, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
J Bees, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Bees (post 1700) +

L. E. Bees, American politician, Delegate to Iowa convention to ratify 21st amendment from Cedar County, 1933 5

Citations +

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)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html