Beckete History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Beckete is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name that was given to a person who was a person with a prominent nose. The Old English word beke refers to the beak of a bird. More rarely, Beckete 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, Beckete 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 Beckete family

The surname Beckete 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 Beckete family

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

Beckete Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Beckete has undergone many spelling variations, including Becket, Beckett, Beckete, Beckette and others.

Early Notables of the Beckete 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...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beckete Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Beckete family to Ireland

Some of the Beckete 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.

Migration of the Beckete family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Beckete were among those contributors: John Becket who settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1683; was a shipwright and had a large family. Mary Becket settled in Plymouth Massachusetts in 1623.