Beverly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Beverly first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in Yorkshire. The Beverly family was originally found at the village and parish of Beverly, from which they took their name. Beverley, which literally means beaver stream, is located in the East Riding of Yorkshire. 1
Early Origins of the Beverly family
The surname Beverly was first found in Yorkshire. Undoubtedly, the first record of the name was John of Beverley (died 721), an East Anglian bishop. He was the Bishop of Hexham and then the Bishop of York. He went on to found the town of Beverley and building the first structure there, a monastery. John was associated with miracles during and after his lifetime, became a saint, canonized by the Catholic Church in 1037.
Leven in the East Riding of Yorkshire is another ancient family seat. "[Leven] is of considerable antiquity, a church being mentioned as existing here at the time of the Norman survey, when the manor was in the possession of the church of St. John de Beverley, which retained it till the Dissolution." 2
Philip Beverley or Ingleberd (fl. 1290), was an "Oxford benefactor, Rector of Kayingham, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, is said to have been 'the most subtle Aristotelian in Oxford.' " 3
John of Beverley (d. 1414), was "a Carmelite of great theological fame, doctor and professor of divinity at Oxford, was born at Beverley, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. He became a canon of St. John's, Church in that town, and from the few records left of him it appears that in 1367 he gave a chaplain and his successor forty acres of land in North Burton and Raventhorpe." 3
Early History of the Beverly family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beverly research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1374, 1605, 1668, 1673, 1705, 1722 and 1728 are included under the topic Early Beverly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Beverly Spelling Variations
One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Beverly has appeared include Beverley, Beverly, Baverlay, Beverlee, Beaverley, Beverle and many more.
Early Notables of the Beverly family
Notables of this surname at this time include: Robert Beverley, Jr. (1673-1722), American-born historian of early colonial Virginia, he is probably best known for his "Beverley's History...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beverly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Beverly Ranking
In the United States, the name Beverly is the 2,279th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 4
Migration of the Beverly family to Ireland
Some of the Beverly 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.
Beverly migration to the United States +
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Beverly arrived in North America very early:
Beverly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Robert Beverly, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 5
- John Beverly, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 5
- William Beverly, who landed in Virginia in 1666 5
- Nicholas Beverly, who landed in Maryland in 1668 5
Beverly Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- William Beverly, who settled in Maryland in 1747
Beverly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Beverly, aged 35, who landed in New York in 1812 5
- Eliza Beverly, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 5
- A Beverly, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
Contemporary Notables of the name Beverly (post 1700) +
- Eric Beverly (b. 1974), American NFL football tight end for the Detroit Lions and the Atlanta Falcons
- David Edward Beverly (b. 1950), former American NFL football punter for the Houston Oilers and the Green Bay Packers
- Randy Beverly (b. 1944), former professional American AFL football player for the New York Jets
- Howard "Frankie" Beverly (b. 1946), American singer, musician, songwriter, and producer
- Lambert Beverly Halstead (1933-1991), British paleontologist & professor of Geology & Zoology
- Dr. Joseph Beverly MacInnis CM (1937-1995), Canadian physician, author, poet, underwater diver and aquanaut, first scientist to dive beneath the North Pole, executive producer of the Genie Award nominated film Titanica (1995)
- Clifton Beverly Briley (1914-1980), American politician, first mayor of Nashville and Davidson County
- Lambert Beverly Halstead (1933-1991), British paleontologist and popularizer of science
- Nathaniel Beverly Tucker (1820-1890), American politician, U.S. Consul in Liverpool, 1857-61 6
- Arthur Beverly Bean (1882-1940), American Democratic Party politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 36th District, 1931-34 7
The Beverly Motto +
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Ubi libertas ibi patria
Motto Translation: Where liberty prevails there is my country.
Citations +
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html