Explore the Family Name Beaver
The meaning of Beaver
1. English: habitational name from Belvoir in Leicestershire, pronounced beever (/bi:və/), so named with Old French beu, bel ‘fair, lovely’ + veïr, voir ‘to see’, i.e. a place with a fine view. This name may also be derived from any of several places in France called Beauvoir, for example in Manche, Somme, and Seine-Maritime, all of which have the same etymology as above. 2. English: nickname from Middle English bever, bevre (Old English beofor) ‘beaver’, possibly referring to a hard worker, or from some other fancied resemblance to the animal. The existence of patronymic forms such as Beaverson suggest that this may also have been a personal name. 3. Native American (Creek): from a translation into English of the Muscogee Creek clan name Echaswvlke (‘Beaver clan’), derived from a word meaning ‘beaver’. 4. Native American: translation into English (and shortening) of any other personal name based on a word, such as Cheyenne homa’e, meaning ‘beaver’. The importance of the beaver to Native Americans is reflected in their traditional personal names, some of which were adopted as surnames (translated into English), e.g. Beaver Heart (in Cheyenne Homa’ehesta; see also Hart 9). 5. Americanized form (translation into English) of cognates of 2 above in other languages, in particular Dutch Bever and German Bieber. History: George Beaver alias Bieber from Alsace, came to Philadelphia, PA, in 1744. — The surname Beaver of French (ultimately German; see 5 above) origin is listed along with its original form Bieber in the register of Huguenot ancestors recognized by the Huguenot Society of America.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Beaver in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Beaver has seen a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked as the 1488th most popular last name, but by 2010, it had dropped to 1665th, marking an 11.9% decrease in rank. Similarly, the count of individuals with the Beaver surname reduced slightly by 1.47%, from 21,963 in 2000 to 21,640 in 2010. The proportion per 100k also fell from 8.14 in 2000 to 7.34 in 2010, indicating a 9.83% drop.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,488 | #1,665 | -11.9% |
| Count | 21,963 | 21,640 | -1.47% |
| Proportion per 100k | 8.14 | 7.34 | -9.83% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Beaver
The ethnic identity associated with the Beaver surname has experienced subtle shifts between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The majority of bearers of the surname identified as White both in 2000 (88.21%) and in 2010 (87.06%), though this proportion saw a slight 1.3% decrease over the decade. Meanwhile, the representation of those identifying as Hispanic rose from 1.48% to 2.13%, a significant increase of 43.92%. Other shifts include a 4.95% increase in those identifying as Black, a 25.58% rise in those claiming two or more races, and a minor 4.88% increase in the Asian/Pacific Islander category. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category was the only ethnicity to see a decline, falling by 6.01%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 88.21% | 87.06% | -1.3% |
| Black | 4.85% | 5.09% | 4.95% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 3.33% | 3.13% | -6.01% |
| Two or More Races | 1.72% | 2.16% | 25.58% |
| Hispanic | 1.48% | 2.13% | 43.92% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.41% | 0.43% | 4.88% |
Beaver ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Beaver is British & Irish, which comprises 50.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (31.0%) and Scandinavian (3.4%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 50.5% |
| French & German | 31.0% |
| Scandinavian | 3.4% |
| Other | 15.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Beaver
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Beaver have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 86.80% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 86.60% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 86.60% |
What Beaver haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Beaver is J-L283, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-L283 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include I-Z58 and I-Z138, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Bowles, Vernon, Lamar, Ramsay, Wimmer, Brock, Brinkley, Timmerman, Braithwaite, Pyne.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Beaver surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Beaver have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Beaver" Surname 43.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Beaver" Surname 21.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Beaver" Surname 25.3%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Beaver" Surname 15.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Beaver?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Beaver are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition