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![Show Contents]() Bec History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Nestled between the Rhine and Wesser rivers is the ancient German region of Westphalia. Westphalia, the home of the name Bec. When hereditary surnames were adopted in this region, after the 12th century, names that were derived from localities were quite common. These "local" surnames originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. When coupled with the German preposition von, which means from or of, local names can indicate that the initial bearer of the name was an aristocrat. However, in modern times, the use of the preposition has often long since been dropped from use. The Bec family originally lived in northern or southern Germany. In the north, the name was derived from the German word "bach" or "beke" which mean "stream," meaning the original bearer of this surname lived by a stream or a brook. To the south, the name was an occupational name for a "baker."1 As a baker, or perhaps the son of one, he held a unique position in the village and could afford an oven for which the primary activity was using that oven to make bread, perhaps often baking dough brought to him by other town folk who did not have access to an oven. Early Origins of the Bec familyThe surname Bec was first found in Westphalia, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as that of a notable family in the region. German archives include a document from as early as the year 1245 wherein is mentioned one Simon Bek, who was then a citizen of Leipzig. Early History of the Bec familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bec research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1489, 1676, 1722, 1731, 1757, 1761, 1780, 1809, 1832 and 1840 are included under the topic Early Bec History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bec Spelling VariationsOne can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Bec include Beck, Bech, Bech, Beche, Becke, Bec, Becce and many more. Early Notables of the Bec familyNotables of the period with the name Bec were - Johann Georg Beck or Johann Georg Baek (1676-1722), a German engraver; Christian Daniel Beck (1757-1832), who was a well-known scholar of Latin and Greek; Jakob Sigismund Beck (1761-1840) was a Danzig...
- Franz Beck, born at Mannheim 1731, died at Bourdeaux 1809, violinist and composer. When quite young he took refuge in Paris from the effects of a duel, and thence removed to Bourdeaux. Here he became...
Bec RankingIn France, the name Bec is the 2,342nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,759 people with that name. 2
 Bec 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: Bec Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Mr. Charles W. Bec, South African settler travelling from Cape Town aboard the ship "Eveline" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 22nd January 1865 3
| Contemporary Notables of the name Bec (post 1700) | + |
- Bec Blissett, American film hairdresser, known for Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) and Heartbreak High (2022)
- Bec Abbot, Canadian singer
- Bahlow, Hans, Dictionary of German Names. translated by Edda Gentry, Wisconsin: The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2002. Print. (ISBN 0-924119-35-7)
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
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Bec migration to New Zealand 
France
Germany-Alt
