Surname Beedy - Meaning and Origin

Beedy: What does the surname Beedy mean?

The surname Beedy is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century by-name 'Beada' which appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as both Bida and Bieda. The by-name is composed of two elements; the first being Beadu meaning 'contention', plus the locational suffix '-ing', denoting a dweller at a place.

The surname then developed into a number of variant spellings, including Beade, Beedo, Beadey, Beedy, Bedey, Bedie and Beadie. The Beedy spelling was first recorded in Lancashire in 1202, when one Walherus de Beady was noted in the Subsidy Rolls for that county. Records since then bequeath us the christenings of Steven Beedy at St. Bartholomew's, London in 1541, Mahould Beedy of Saddington, Leicester in 1556, and Ann Beedy at St. James' Church, Clerkenwell in 1704.

Beedy is a surname which speaks of hardy Northumbrian forebears while pointing to an ascendant from the fertile lands of Leicester. Variants of the surname Beedy are fairly widespread in England, with some notable concentrations in Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire and Lancashire, while across the Ireland and Scotland, in both forms of the name, the oldest recordings of the name are to be found in County Cavan, Ireland.

Beedy: Where does the name Beedy come from?

The last name Beedy is a fairly uncommon last name. It originated in England in the 1200s but is now found mostly in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Within the United States, the highest concentration of the surname Beedy can be found in Michigan, which claims 871 bearers of the name. This is followed closely by New York, with 740, and then Washington with 141. The United States as a whole reports 3,945 people with the last name Beedy.

Canada has its own share of Beedys, with the highest concentration being in Ontario with 736, followed by Alberta with 96, and then British Columbia with 73. Canada as a whole reports 918 people who bear the last name Beedy.

The United Kingdom boasts 835 bearers of the name, with the largest concentration being in London, with 158, followed by Leeds with 105, and then Nottingham with 100.

The last name Beedy is not particularly prevalent in any one region, but is more widely distributed throughout the United Kingdom and the United States. Together, these two countries account for 4,863 of the world’s Beedys, with the majority of them living in Michigan.

Variations of the surname Beedy

The surname Beedy has a range of variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. Some of these variants are Beady, Beede, Beaddie and several other spellings and surnames, such as Beadle, Beadman, Beadsley, Beadsell, Bede, and Beid.

The spellings of Beedy and Beady likely originate from an old English personal name, Beada. This same personal name may also be responsible for the alternate spellings of Beaddie and Beddie. The other surnames that trace back to the same origin likely have their roots in other contexts, such as job or place names.

The surname Beadle is likely derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for the job of a town crier or bailiff. In old English, the word beadle referred to a Church officer, also known as a sexton. The surname Beadsley may have originated from an old English place-name, meaning settlement of the people of Beadd.

The surname Beid likely originated from the old English words beda or bede, meaning prayer or invocation. This suggests that the origin of this surname could be a reference to a person with religious or spiritual connections. The surname Bede could also be a variation of this same origin.

The origin of the surname Beedy is, therefore, likely to be an old English personal name. The various variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin could then be further derived from other contexts such as job or place-names.

Famous people with the name Beedy

• Gay Galusha Beedy (19th-century American poet and journal writer)
• Marjorie Beedy (American actress and television writer)
• Zera Beedy (American Civil War era writer)
• William Beedy (American television actor best known for appearing in the soap opera All My Children)
• Timothy Beedy (American actor and comedian)
• Tom Beedy (Veteran American actor best known for his work in films and television)
• Steven Beedy (American television director best known for his work on Star Trek: Voyager)
• Preston Beedy (American film and television actor)
• Nancy Beedy (American actress)
• Julius Beedy (American World War II veteran and Medal of Honor recipient)

Other surnames

Beede