Beau

Beau
Recorded as Bau, Beau, Le Beau, and in compounds such as Beauclerk, Beaufrere, Beaumont, and many others, this is a surname of French origins. It means literally good or fair, and as such was given as a baptismal name of endearment to a male child, or as a medieval nickname to somebody who was considered by his peers to be either goodly, or more likely given the robust attitudes and sense of humour of those far off times, the complete reverse! It is unclear when the name was first recorded in England, although we have a similar recording in that of Edward le Bon in the Curia Regis rolls for the city of Oxford in the year 1204. Sadly the recordings in France itself are rather poor. Most early records were destroyed during the famous, or to some people infamous, Revolution of 1792, when for several years thereafter anarchy reigned and the church itself was banned. As a result early registers only survived when they were hidden, and then at the risk of ones life. Examples of recordings from surviving registers include those of Jean le Bon at Rumigny in the Ardennes, France, on January 22 1658, whilst in England Pierre Beau, a Huguenot Protestant refugee was recorded at the French church known as 'The Artillery', on May 10th 1761. Ten years later we have the recording of Francois Bau, the son of Pierre Bau and his wife Madelaine (nee Braconnier), at another French church called La Patente, on December 8th 1771, both churches being in the city of London.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • beau — beau …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • beau — ou bel, belle (bô ou bèl, bè l ; au pluriel l x se lie : de beaux hommes, dites : de bô z hommes ; bel se dit devant un mot commençant par une voyelle, mais non pas indifféremment ; c est seulement devant le substantif auquel il est joint : un… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • beau — BEAU, BELLE. adj. Qui a les proportions de traits, et le mélange des couleurs nécessaires pour plaire aux yeux. Beau visage. Beau corps. Beaux yeux. Belle bouche. Belle femme. Elle est belle à ravir. Un enfant beau comme le jour. f♛/b] Il se dit… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • beau — Beau, monosyllabum, adject. Est dit qui par formosité et deuë proportion de membres, lineaments et couleur de visage est aggreable à voir. Formosus, Pulcher, Speciosus, Combien qu aucuns mal cognoissans en beauté, attribuent ceste epithete à… …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • Beau — (v. französ. beau schön) bezeichnet einen „Schönling der Gesellschaft“, siehe Playboy (Person) Beau ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Albin Eduard Beau (1907–1969), deutscher Germanist, Romanist und Lusitanist Alphonse Beau de Rochas… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Beau — is a specialist twelve string guitar player who first became known in the late 1960s through his recordings for John Peel s Dandelion label. He released two albums on Dandelion Beau (1969) and Creation (1971) which featured Jim Milne and Steve… …   Wikipedia

  • Beau — m English: recent coinage as a given name, originally a nickname meaning ‘handsome’, as borne by Beau Brummell (1778–1840), the dandy who was for a time a friend of the Prince Regent. The word was also used in the 19th century with the meaning… …   First names dictionary

  • Beau — (b[=o]), n.; pl. F. {Beaux} (E. pron. b[=o]z), E. {Beaus} (b[=o]z). [F., a fop, fr. beau fine, beautiful, fr. L. bellus pretty, fine, for bonulus, dim. of bonus good. See {Bounty}, and cf. {Belle}, {Beauty}.] 1. A man who takes great care to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • beau — (n.) attendant suitor of a lady, 1720, from Fr. beau the beautiful, noun use of an adjective, from O.Fr. bel beautiful, handsome, fair, genuine, real (11c.), from L. bellus handsome, fine, pretty, agreeable, dim. of bonus good (see BENE (Cf. bene …   Etymology dictionary

  • beau — beau, belle adj. Dans le langage familier, placé avant le substantif, signifie : grand, fort et, éventuellement, beau : Elle est belle femme; c est un beau gars …   Dictionnaire du Français argotique et populaire

  • beau i|de|al — OH y DEE uhl, y DEEL», plural beau i|de|als «BOH y DEE uhlz, y DEELZ». 1. the perfect type of excellence or beauty; highest ideal; model. 2. beauty, in its ideal perfection. ╂[< French beau idéal, the “beautiful” as an abstract idea] …   Useful english dictionary

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