Bever History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

In the ancient German province of Westphalia, the surname Bever evolved. It is a nickname, a style of hereditary surname that developed out of the traditional German eke-names, that identified people by naming them after a physical characteristic or other identifiable trait. Bever is a name for a beautiful person having derived from the Old French words beu and bel, which mean fair or lovely, and veir or voir, which mean to see. In the 8th and 9th centuries, the French language was commonly spoken in the German states. While the court of Charlemagne (742-814) was Latin-speaking, Frankish dialects of Old German and Old French were still quite commonly used.

Early Origins of the Bever family

The surname Bever was first found in Westphalia, where the name was closely identified in early mediaeval times with the feudal society which would become prominent throughout European history. The family originated in the county of Dassel (princedom of Goettingen). The name would later emerge as a noble family with great influence, having many distinguished branches, and become noted for its involvement in social, economic and political affairs. The founding father of the many succeeding branches of the family is usually taken to be Clemens von Bevern, who lived around 903 A.D. The ancestral seat of the family is often taken to be the manor Bevern located in the Warendorf district of Muenster, which the family acquired in 1134. Other chronicles suggest that Clemens von Bevern founded the castle Bevern in the Holzminden district of the duchy of Brunswick, and that this is the true ancestral seat.

Early History of the Bever family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bever research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1107, 1679, 1700, 1732 and 1833 are included under the topic Early Bever History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bever Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Bever include Bever, Bewer, Bevver, Beverr, Bevere, Beverre, Bevers, Bevvers, Bevvere, Bevern and many more.

Early Notables of the Bever family

Notables of the period with the name Bever were

Johann Gottfried von Beveren, who became an imperial knight in 1679...
The Baron Ernst von Bevern was a Canon and scholar in Osnabrueck in 1700, the Baron Hermann von Bevern served as a colonel and political advisor in the Trier government, and the Baron Sebastian von Be...

Bever Ranking

In the United States, the name Bever is the 11,597^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Bever migration to the United States +

After 1650, thousands of German settlers came to North America to escape the religious persecution and poverty that wracked Europe and to make the most of the opportunity to own their own land in a new country. They settled across the United States in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, and in Canada in Ontario and on the fertile plains of the prairie provinces. Among them:

Bever Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Isack Bever, age 24, who settled in Virginia in 1635
hack Bever, aged 24, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 2
Jo Bever, aged 24, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Speedwell" 2
Mr. Isack Bever, (b. 1611), aged 24, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Constance" arriving in Virginia in 1635 3
Claes Bever, who arrived in New York in 1658 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bever Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Richard Bever, who arrived in South Carolina in 1711 2
Christina Bever, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 2
Jacob Bever, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 2
Dorothy Bever, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 2

Bever Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Bever, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Bever (post 1700) +

Thomas G. Bever (b. 1939), American Professor of Psychology, Linguistics and Cognitive Science
Thomas Bever Bever (1725-1791), English scholar and civilian, born at Mortimer, Berkshire 4
James Bever, Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Indiana University
Thomas Bever Bever (1725-1791), English scholar and civilian, born at Mortimer, Berkshire 4
Daniel Bever Crane (b. 1936), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Illinois, 1979-85 (22nd District 1979-83, 19th District 1983-85) 5

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 5th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 June. 2019
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, March 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html