Beverley
From an English place name, ultimately derived from Old English meaning "beaver stream".
Name Census estimates that about 5,282 living Americans carry the first name Beverley. It is a predominantly female name (97.0% of registrations). The average person named Beverley today is around 72 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Beverley births was 1938 (414 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Beverley. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Although Beverley is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 407 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • The typical person named Beverley is about 72 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Beverleys were born before 1964.
People living today
5.3K
~ 1 in 64,891 Americans
Peak year
1938
414 babies that year
Average age
72
years old
1963 SSA rank
#3,684
Tracked since 1912
Gender
Gender distribution for Beverley
Beverley leans heavily female at 97.0% of total registrations, but 407 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Beverley as a male name
- Ranked #3,684 in 1963
- 6 male births in 1963
- Peak: 1922 (16 births)
Beverley as a female name
- Ranked #12,333 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1938 (407 births)
Popularity
Beverley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Beverley from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 3,608 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Beverley by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Beverley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Beverleys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 44 states and territories. California, New York, Michigan recorded the most babies named Beverley, while Wyoming, Rhode Island, District of Columbia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 226 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Beverley
The name Beverley originated in the 7th century from the Old English word "Beofor-leah", which translates to "beaver-clearing". It was derived from the town of Beverley in East Yorkshire, England, where a community of beavers once resided near a clearing or meadow.
During the Anglo-Saxon period, the name was commonly used to refer to individuals from the town of Beverley or those associated with the area. The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 8th century, when it appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Beverley held a strong association with Saint John of Beverley, an influential Bishop of York in the 7th century. His veneration as a saint contributed to the name's popularity, particularly in regions under the influence of the Church of England.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Beverley was Beverley Minster, a renowned English architect and master mason who lived in the 13th century. He was responsible for the construction of the magnificent Beverley Minster, a Gothic cathedral in the town of Beverley.
In the 16th century, Beverley Whiting (c. 1505 - 1587) gained recognition as an English gardener and botanist. He is credited with introducing several plant species to England and contributing to the development of horticulture during the Tudor period.
Another notable figure was Beverley Randolph (1754 - 1789), an American politician and one of the earliest governors of Virginia. He played a significant role in the early years of the United States and was a prominent figure in the Virginia Convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution.
Beverley Robinson (1723 - 1792), an American Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War, was a prominent figure in New York and served as a colonel in the British army. Despite his allegiance to the British crown, he maintained a close friendship with George Washington.
In the 19th century, Beverley Nichols (1898 - 1983) was a renowned English author, playwright, and composer. He is best known for his witty and insightful works on gardening, as well as his autobiographical novels that captured the spirit of the English upper class.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Beverley, showcasing its enduring presence and significance across various fields and time periods.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Beverley
People
Beverley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Beverley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Beverley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Beverley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,282 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Beverley going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 64,891 US residents.
Is Beverley a common name?
We classify Beverley as "Rare". It ranks above 96.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13,457 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Beverley most popular?
The single biggest year for Beverley was 1938, when 414 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Beverley is about 72 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Beverley a female name?
Yes, 97.0% of people registered as Beverley in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.