Beery History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Germany

The ancestors of the Beery surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in Devon, where they took their name from one of the many places named Bear, Beare, Beara, etc., found in that county. The surname is likely to be derived from the Old English word bearu, which means grove. Several early instances of that name are in the form le beare, or the bear, from the Old English bera. 1

"A gentleman in Kent, some years since, rejoiced in the Christian and sur-(or rather un-Christian and sur-ly)names of Savage Bear (English Sum.) Although I do not recollect any other instance of this name in modern English, the nomenclature of many European countries, both personal and local, abounds with it in various forms." 2

Early Origins of the Beery family

The surname Beery was first found in Devon where there are two places on the banks of Tamar called Beer-Alston and Beer-Ferris. In Dorset, place names include Beer-Hacket and Beer-Regis. 2 The earliest reference of the name was in Devon where it was listed as Bera in the Domesday Book 3

"Two places on the banks of the Tamar, in co. Devon, are called Beer-Alston and Beer-Ferris, while two others in Dorsetshire bear the names of Beer-Hacket and Beer-Regis." 2

In nearby Cornwall, another early listing of the family was found in the parish of St. Ervan. "Treravel, an ancient gentleman's seat, belonged in the days of Hals to George Bere or Beare, gentleman, who married Lanyon. This is now a farm house, the property of John Hicks, Esq." 4 The barton of Brynn, in the parish of Withiel, Cornwall was formerly a seat of the family of Beare, from whom it passed some time ago.

Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Today we typically need to look beyond the spellings of these entries and concentrate on on a phonetic appreciation of the names. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Robert le Ber, Kent; Adam le Bere, Cambridgeshire; Clement le Bere, Oxfordshire; Walter le Bere, Oxfordshire; Lucy de la Bere, Devon; Elyas dela Byare, Devon; John de la Byare, Devon; and Reginald de Bere, Devon. 5

In Somerset, John de Bere and Robert atte Bere were listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 6

Early History of the Beery family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beery research. Another 171 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1207, 1354, 1355, 1493, 1524, 1534, 1614, 1634, 1680, 1684, 1713 and 1799 are included under the topic Early Beery History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beery Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Beery include Beare, Bear, Beer, Bere, Beares, Bears, Beers and many more.

Early Notables of the Beery family

Distinguished members of the family include Richard de la Bere, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1354 and 1355. Richard Bere (d. 1524), was Abbot of Glastonbury and was installed in 1493 as the election of Thomas Wasyn having been quashed by the Bishop of Bath and Wells. "He was a great builder. Leland tells us that...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beery Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beery Ranking

In the United States, the name Beery is the 6,717^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7

Beery migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Beery Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Beery, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States, in 1894

Beery Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

John Bagnell Beery, aged 41, who settled in America from Cambridge, in 1904
Levy O. Beery, aged 30, who landed in America, in 1908
Mary H. Beery, aged 40, who immigrated to the United States, in 1909
Philemon Beery, aged 40, who settled in America, in 1912
Fannie Beery, aged 32, who landed in America, in 1912

Contemporary Notables of the name Beery (post 1700) +

Professor Jesse Beery (1861-1945), American horse trainer and writer
Noah Lindsey Beery Jr. (1913-1994), American actor, best known as James Garner's father, Joseph "Rocky" Rockford, in the 1970s television series The Rockford Files
Dan Beery (b. 1975), American six-time gold medalist competitive rower, including 2004 Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion
Noah Beery Sr. (1882-1946), American actor, father of actor Noah Beery, Jr. and brother of Wallace Beery
Wallace Beery (1885-1949), American Academy Award winning actor, best known for his portrayal of Bill in Min and Bill, he appeared in 250 movies
F. A. Beery, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1940 8

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html