NameCensus.

UK surname

Beebee

A variant of the French surname Bébé, meaning 'baby' or 'infant'.

In the 1881 census there were 211 people recorded with the Beebee surname, ranking it #12,407 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 226, ranked #18,044, down from #12,407 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Willesden and Darlaston. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Walsall, South Bucks and Stroud.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Beebee is 334 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 7.1%.

1881 census count

211

Ranked #12,407

Modern count

226

2016, ranked #18,044

Peak year

1911

334 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Beebee had 211 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,407 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 226 in 2016, ranked #18,044.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 334 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Beebee surname distribution map

The map shows where the Beebee surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Beebee surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Beebee over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 117 #15,456
1861 historical 91 #22,206
1881 historical 211 #12,407
1891 historical 243 #13,011
1901 historical 262 #12,740
1911 historical 334 #10,608
1997 modern 233 #15,975
1998 modern 231 #16,555
1999 modern 235 #16,458
2000 modern 227 #16,792
2001 modern 227 #16,573
2002 modern 229 #16,771
2003 modern 223 #16,905
2004 modern 228 #16,723
2005 modern 218 #17,170
2006 modern 207 #17,892
2007 modern 202 #18,359
2008 modern 208 #18,171
2009 modern 217 #18,070
2010 modern 221 #18,205
2011 modern 220 #18,096
2012 modern 223 #17,852
2013 modern 233 #17,606
2014 modern 224 #18,202
2015 modern 222 #18,225
2016 modern 226 #18,044

Geography

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Where Beebees are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Willesden, Darlaston, Walsall and Birmingham Town: Aston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Walsall, South Bucks and Stroud. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Willesden Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
3 Darlaston Staffordshire
4 Walsall Staffordshire
5 Birmingham Town: Aston Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Walsall 029 Walsall
2 South Bucks 002 South Bucks
3 Walsall 005 Walsall
4 Walsall 017 Walsall
5 Stroud 014 Stroud

Forenames

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First names often paired with Beebee

These lists show first names that appear often with the Beebee surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Beebee

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Beebee, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Beebee surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Beebee household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Beebee is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Beebee is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Beebee falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Beebee is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Beebee, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Beebee

The surname BEEBEE is of English origin, stemming from the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "beo" or "bee," referring to the industrious insect. As such, the name would have initially been an occupational name for a beekeeper or someone involved in the production of honey.

In the early records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Beeby, Beebee, and Beebie, reflecting the inconsistencies in written English at the time. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1195, where a certain Robert Bebi is mentioned.

The Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror, does not appear to include any direct mentions of the BEEBEE surname. However, it does record place names that may have contributed to the emergence of the surname, such as Beedon in Berkshire and Beeby in Leicestershire.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the BEEBEE surname. One of the earliest was Sir John Beebee (c. 1510-1585), a prominent lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another was John Beebee (1711-1796), a British architect and surveyor who worked on several important projects in London, including the reconstruction of Newgate Prison.

In the literary world, Edward Spencer Beebee (1837-1922) was an American writer and poet, best known for his works on nature and the outdoors. During the same period, Richard Beebee (1856-1934) was a notable English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.

Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the BEEBEE surname in America was that of John Beebee, who arrived in New England in 1635 and settled in Connecticut. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the United States.

While the surname BEEBEE may not be among the most common in the world, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and continents, with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions contributing to its legacy.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Beebee families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Beebee surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Staffordshire leads with 171 Beebees recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.61x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 171 24.61x
Lancashire 12 0.49x
Warwickshire 8 1.54x
Surrey 5 0.50x
Cumberland 4 2.26x
Cambridgeshire 3 2.30x
Gloucestershire 2 0.50x
Yorkshire 2 0.10x
Cheshire 1 0.22x
Herefordshire 1 1.19x
Middlesex 1 0.05x
Northamptonshire 1 0.52x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Walsall Foreign in Staffordshire leads with 85 Beebees recorded in 1881 and an index of 236.83x.

Place Total Index
Walsall Foreign 85 236.83x
Bilston 46 341.75x
Wolverhampton 16 29.95x
Walsall Borough 13 241.19x
Barton Upon Irwell 6 32.64x
Darlaston 6 62.50x
Camberwell 5 3.80x
Rusholme 5 76.80x
Cleator 4 54.20x
Aston 3 2.10x
Birmingham 3 1.73x
Chatteris 3 90.09x
Brightside Bierlow 2 5.00x
Handsworth 2 11.68x
Leamington Priors 2 15.66x
Cannock 1 8.25x
Dursley 1 60.24x
Hereford St Owen 1 35.84x
Rushden 1 38.61x
Sedgley 1 3.88x
St George Bloomsbury 1 8.47x
Stayley 1 19.27x
Toxteth Park 1 1.21x
Wednesbury 1 5.76x
Westbury On Trym 1 7.31x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Beebee surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 14
Sarah 13
Elizabeth 11
Clara 5
Eliza 5
Ellen 5
Alice 4
Annie 4
Eliz. 3
Emily 3
Harriet 3
Lizzie 3
Ada 2
Edith 2
Emma 2
Maria 2
Phoebe 2
Susan 2
Agnes 1
Allice 1
Amy 1
Anne 1
Beatrice 1
Betsy 1
Charlotte 1
Eleanor 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Jane 1
Jemima 1
Laura 1
Lilley 1
Mabel 1
Margaret 1
Nettie 1
Patience 1
Rosa 1
Sophey 1
Tassie 1
Theresa 1
Thirza 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Beebee surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 12
John 11
George 7
Alfred 6
Thomas 6
Henry 5
Howard 4
Isaac 4
James 4
Samuel 4
Arthur 3
Benjamin 3
Harry 3
Joseph 3
Sidney 3
Charles 2
Francis 2
Frank 2
Walter 2
Wm. 2
Albert 1
David 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Fred 1
Harold 1
Jonathan 1
Jos. 1
Matthew 1
Norman 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Saml. 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Beebee surname: questions and answers

How common was the Beebee surname in 1881?

In 1881, 211 people were recorded with the Beebee surname. That placed it at #12,407 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Beebee surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 226 in 2016. That gives Beebee a modern rank of #18,044.

What does the Beebee surname mean?

A variant of the French surname Bébé, meaning 'baby' or 'infant'.

What does the Beebee map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Beebee bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.