She may be the most often requested name here at AppMtn and she’s top of the reader favorite lists at Nameberry.
Thanks to JNE, Photoquilty and the lovely Elisabeth of You Can’t Call It “It” for suggesting Beatrix as Name of the Day.
If Beatrix comes up so often, why have I waited ’til July 28 to get around to featuring her? Easy. Tomorrow is Beatrix Potter’s birthday, she of Peter Rabbit fame. Born Helen Beatrix in 1866, her privileged upbringing included a rock solid education that eventually led to a series of fanciful-yet-realistic, and undeniably enduring storybooks.
Then there’s Saint Beatrice. Legend has it that, during the Diocletian persecutions, her brothers were died for their faith. She fished their beheaded corpses from the Tiber and ensured that they were given a proper burial. In short order, she, too, joined them. Little evidence remains, and the trio no longer appear on the official calendar of saints, but July 29 would’ve been their feast day.
The would-be saint was also recorded as Beatrix or Viatrix. Viator meant voyager in Latin. Mash in beatus – blessed – and you’ll find meanings like “blessed traveller.” The saint was popular enough to inspire steady use of the name. The historical record includes several more saints, including:
- Blessed Beatrice of Ornacieux, a thirteenth century nun;
- The Blessed Beatrix d’Este and her niece, Saint Beatrix d’Este, also around 1200;
- Saint Beatrice da Silva was a fifteenth century noblewoman who turned her back on court life to found a religious order;
- Blessed Beatrijs van Nazareth was Flemish nun known for writing the Seven Ways of Holy Love.
There are royal and aristocratic aplenty Beatrixes, too:
- Beatrice of Castile-León was the thirteenth century queen of Portgual;
- A few decades later, Beatrice of Castile married King Alfonso IV of Portgual and became another Queen Beatrice;
- Beatrice of Burgundy was an heiress – her son became the first Duke of Bourbon, and his descendants lent their name to the French royal dynasty known as the Bourbons;
- Yet another Beatrice d’Este was destined not for sainthood, but a Renaissance wedding gala. Her wedding planner? None other than Leonardo da Vinci;
- Beatrice of Savoy would give birth to four future queens of Europe, including Queen Beatrice of Sicily;
- Queen Victoria bestowed the name on her youngest daughter;
- Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has reigned since 1980;
- Born in 1988, Princess Beatrice of York is fifth in line to the throne of England.
Then there’s Dante’s Beatrice. In his 1321 “The Divine Comedy,” Beatrice served as guide. She was based on a real person – Beatrice di Folco Portinari.
William Shakespeare used the name for a feisty character in his 1599 Much Ado About Nothing, lending Beatrice the ultimate literary stamp of approval. She also appears in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge from 1955. And back in the 1300s, an uncertain scribe penned Beatrijs, a Dutch poem about a nun who left religious life for marriage – only to fall on hard times, but ultimately find salvation. The story was well known in the Middle Ages.
There’s also Beatrice Cenci, a sixteenth century Italian aristocrat. She conspired with her family members to murder her abusive father. When Beatrice and her conspirators were caught, many urged mercy, but she was beheaded. Her story became something of a folk legend, with the murderess cast as a heroic crusader against the absues of the aristocracy. A ghoulish tale features Beatrice returning to the scene of her execution, holding her head on a pike. I mention the tragedy because she inspired works by Percy Bysshe Shelley and Stendahl; the story was used by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1860′s The Marble Faun. It is the kind of story that has legs – it is easy to imagine Scarlett Johannson starring in a retelling.
Beatrix Potter lends the name an innocent air, as do other uses from children’s lit:
- Ramona Quimby’s big sis Beezus is actually a Beatrice;
- Mo Willems’s pint-sized Park Sloper Trixie is the star of his celebrated Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale;
- A Series of Unfortunate Events includes mother Beatrice Baudelaire.
Variants abound, including Beata, heard more often in Eastern Europe and the Gaelic Beathag – a name with a history of her own.
Maybe the coolest Beatrix of recent years was Uma Thurman’s character in Kill Bill, better known as The Bride. While you might not dare name your daughter after a deadly assassin, the character goes quite a ways to transform Beatrix from Golden Girl to 21st century chic. Bea Arthur who?
Despite all of these notables, the name has been rarely heard in recent years. Beatrice peaked at #36 in 1910, dipped out of the rankings briefly, then returned at #833 in ’08. Beatrix only charted once, in 1883. Beatriz ranked many years from 1921 thru 2004.
Today, it is Beatrix – with her x-ending, long history and quirky retro vibe, that seems poised for popularity.
After all, Isabella was once obscure, too.
Thank you for covering this name, Verity! As of right now, Beatrice/Beatrix (we waffle between the two) is a serious contender should this second baby be a girl. We love the feisty ‘x’ of Beatrix, but also kind of like the sound and buttoned-up feel of Beatrice. Today’s apparent love-fest for Beatrix has given us new confidence in that version.
Bea (said BEE uh) and Trixie are the only two nicknames we’ve come up with and we’re not over the moon with them… any other suggestions?
We think that Beatrix would fit well with our first’s name, Imogen. (That’s also a point against Beatrice for us, since it gets a little too Shakespearean in our house, and mostly by accident.) Right now she’s one of three top contenders for a girl baby… in a few weeks we’ll know whether or not it’s all about these names, or if we have to conquer the even more difficult subject of boy names.
Beatrix and Beatrice are both lovely. I think I prefer the softer sounds of Beatrice, but my husband recently suggested Beatrix for our girls’ name list — he likes the association with Ms. Potter.
My only problems with these is that I’m not crazy about the nicknames. Bea and Trixie are both okay, but I don’t love them.
JNE … how far along are you? I’m 17 weeks. We get to find out if it’s a boy or girl in about three weeks.
And I’d also love to hear any alternate nickname suggestions.
Emmy Jo – I’ll be 17 weeks on Wed. We find out in 2.5 weeks. Same sort of schedule as you.
From a naming perspective, girl seems like it would be easier at this point.
Hm… NN alternatives… For Beatrix, Bertie could work (if you like that sort of Gertrude-like name), Attie (which might cause confusion with the Addie/Maddies roaming around), Trilly (which I think is fudging adorable), and perhaps Trini (TREE-nee). But Trini seems to work better with Beatrice. OH! Betty could work too, as with Bette (a la Midler). Betty isn’t too far from Beatrix/trice, but again, it might fall into the stuffy category for some. Bix could work, though it sounds canine-inspired, Bixie (like Pixie, though a bit softer), and Billie (which sounds too country hick for me) are great for Beatrix, while you could stretch for Reece on lil ol’ Beatrice. Trici (TREE-see), Trish, Trishi, and Trisha could work for Beatrice too.
Hope some of that enamor you further to Beatrix/Beatrice! (I myself love Bea/Bee/Trixie/Trilly on a Beatrix.)
Beatrix was a name that my husband suggested when we were tearing our hair out trying to come up with a name for our daughter. It was one of the few names he suggested that I actually considered before saying that, while I liked it, I don’t think I could see myself giving the name to my daughter. (He also suggested Clementine and lorded it over me this morning when he saw that two of his suggestions were in the “top three” on nameberry.com.) We ended up doing the time-honoured thing of naming our daughter after a relative, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Beatrix comes up again should we be expecting another girl in the future.
Incidentally, my sister is also seventeen weeks pregnant. In Canada only a few clinics in each city will actually provide a gender identification, so Emily has to wait until the beginning of September for her ultrasound.
Yay! Finally it’s Beatrix’s turn! (I think you can add me to the list of those who suggested it too, but I guess it was too long a list to recount in full.)
Our little Beatrix (#3 of four girls) was easily the hardest of all of them to name. She was the only one that actually required a list of names being taken to the hospital. Fortunately, once we met her, there was no question in either of our minds.
I think it was the “voyager” or “sojourner” meaning that caught our attention and made her stand out on our list. (Incidentally, Clementine was probably our #2 choice, and I have Imogen in mind should we ever have another girl, so apparently we apmtn readers all have similarly fabulous taste
). We also swithered about the -x versus -ce, but we are both *so* glad we went with the x in the end. She’s feisty, and the x suits her personality perfectly 
I like both Trixie and Bea, but ours really isn’t a Trixie. Occasionally she’s just Trix, but mostly she’s Bea. That’s what she calls herself now that she can talk, and that sort of seals the deal.
Thanks for a wonderful treatment of the name. It was well worth the wait. Now you’ve done all but one of my girls’ names
Jodi — What are your other girls’ names? Now I’m curious.
Hi Emmy Jo
They are Pippa (Philippa, technically), Romilly and Juniper. I think Pippa’s the only one who hasn’t made an appearance here, if memory serves. I discovered this site when somebody saw Romilly here and sent me the link, then later I discovered Juniper was the first ever NotD – fun!
Jodi, those are fabulous names! And Phillipa is up this week.
What lovely names! They’re all so fun and spunky.
Jodi, your daughter’s names are adorable! Beatrix is on our own list, as well as Phillipa/Pippa♥, Romilly and Juniper! I love your taste in names!
Count me on the list of those who love the names you choose — Romilly is in my top five, Juniper is in consideration for a middle name to honor my mom (who was born in June), and Pippa is one of the most adorable nicknames! Of course, I’ve already stated my love for Beatrix, so I feel only a slight need to say it again.
Thanks so much for all your kind words – you’ve made my day!
I love Beatrix quirky, spunky yet sophisticated vibe. I adore the possible and utterly adorable nn option of Trixie.
Nicknames: Beti or Betty is used in Mexico for girls named Beatriz. I can certainly see an English-speaking household using Bettie or Bette for their little Beatrix or Beatrice.
As for Beatrix and Imogen, what a wonderful pair of names for sisters.
Betty – fun! thanks! I can barely wait the 10 more days to find out if it’s a girl or boy!
Since Imogen has been mentioned so much in these comments I would like to add that Imogen was a name that I requested by my husband vetoed (actually, it was in my top three). We work very well together, but not when it comes to choosing girls’ names!
Christina … ooh, I like Betty! Thanks!
I’ve come to think of Beatrix as THE ultimate name nerd name; barely anyone on forums, blogs and boards seems to dislike it. And, besides, what is there to dislike about it? Classy but with a little sass, well-known because of Ms Potter and therefore quite easy to spell and say, and wonderfully, beautifully unpopular! However, like you say, there’s no reason why that shouldn’t change sometime soon, what with the current trend for undiscovered gems. Then again, I really can’t imagine it’ll be a top ten pick, so I suppose we’re safe.
PS. People on here have SUCH good taste; Jodi, I love your daughters’ names. It makes me smile to think there are such well-named children in a sea of Jaidens and Madisyns.
We discussed Beatrix too… My husband is Mexican and we would have given her the nickname “Bea” pronounced in Spanish as Bay-uh.
That’s interesting – I like the sound of Bea in Spanish.
I like the way this one looks better than the way it sounds. Does that make sense?
I really like Beatrix! I’m just not sure that I’d ever use it myself.
As for other nicknames, there was a character on the HBO show _The Wire_ named Beatrice, who goes by Beadie (bee dee).
Athgirl, I must be the only person on Earth who hasn’t seen The Wire. (Making a mental note to watch.) Anyhow, Beadie seems like a great nickname if your Beatrice turns out to be a bit of a tomboy. But Trixie has been a fave of mine ever since I saw the old re-runs of the Honeymooners – Alice was Ralph Kramden’s wife; Trixie & Ed were their neighbors and best friends. (Except that that Trixie was a nickname for Thelma.)
This is the name that is in the number one spot for this baby if it’s a girl! (I waver between whether I love Rosemary or Beatrix more, but Erik dislikes Rosemary, so there you go!). I adore Beatrix, it’s classy, feisty, literary, cute, sweet, sassy, pretty much the perfect name. If feels really regal, unusual but familiar, very lady-like but with a fun childish spirit. A Beatrix would be a standout, but not stick out like a sore thumb. I like Beatrice, but much prefer Beatrix, as a ADORE Trixie on a little girl, I think it’s simply adorable! I find out what I have in two days, so we’ll see if another little Beatrix will be coming soon!
Two days! (More like one now, actually.) How exciting!
No two days, I was posting close enough to midnight to consider it the next day! lol, I find out on Friday! Squee! I really want to find out, because Erik won’t seriously talk about names with me until we find out what we’re having!
I love the ‘x’ on Beatrix. We’d be “Trixie” all the way, as far as nicknames.
I rather like Beatriu as well, a Catalan variation.
Beatriu is lovely!
My husband and I love this name. We plan on likely using it in the middle name spot as a way to honor me (Trisha), if we have a girl.
I’ve always disliked Beatrice, and Beatrix is worse. I just really don’t like the sound of either of them.
Beata is nice though.
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I LOVE Beatrix. Here’s the question though, is it against the rules to use it with a B last name?
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