Bean
What is the origin of the last name Bean?
Meaning and origin
The last name Bean traces its origins to the Middle English word "bene," which in turn derived from the Old French word "bene" or "beene." The name originally referred to a person with fair or white hair, resembling the color of beans. Over time, variations of the name emerged across different regions and languages, including the variations such as Beane or Beene.
The longer story
The last name Bean is of English origin. It is a surname derived from the Old English word "bēan," meaning "bean" or "pea." The use of plant names as surnames was common in medieval England, indicating a connection to agriculture or the cultivation of certain crops.
The surname Bean can be found in various forms, including Beane, Been, and Bene. Variations in spelling were common in earlier times due to the lack of standardized spelling rules.
The Bean surname can be traced back to early medieval England, where it was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. The book was a survey of England and Wales, commissioned by William the Conqueror, which recorded land ownership and other details for tax purposes. This early mention suggests that the Bean family has a long-standing presence in England.
Surname origins are rarely settled: one spelling can have several sources, and families often took a name for reasons nobody wrote down. Check it against the sources below before you rely on it.
#926
Bean was the 926th most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 37,571 people, about 13 in every 100,000.
Who carries it
Surnames like Bean
Names it is linked with, then names with the same origin and a similar standing.
Check the sources
- Forebears: where Bean is found around the world
- The Internet Surname Database: a second opinion on the origin
- US Census Bureau: the 2010 surname figures used here
For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.