Frequency: (112)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
French: nickname for a handsome man (perhaps also ironically for an ugly one), from Old French beu, bel ‘fair’, ‘lovely’ (Late Latin bellus). See also Bel.
FOREBEARS: A Beau, also called Desjardins, from Brittany is documented in Canada in 1726.
GIVEN NAMES: French 12%. Andre, Laurent, Pascal, Remi.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
