B is for buried; image by WagsomeDog via Flickr
He’s a stylish surname bounding up the charts.
Beckett debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2006 at #749, and he’d raced up to #356 by 2010. He shows no signs of slowing down, either. At this rate, he could zip right past other boys’ -ett appellations, like:
- Garrett, #189
- Emmett, #273
- Bennett, #279
- Everett, #287
- Jett, #353
There’s also Wyatt and Elliott. In fact, I guessed Beckett might share something with Elliott and his cousin Elliot – I expected to see Becket gaining, too, but that’s not the case. The single t spelling is pretty rare. You’re more likely to meet a Beck or a even a Beckham.
Both Beckett and Becket share their origins:
- Beckett is a place name, found on the map in England. Beck is an Old English term for a stream, and that’s the most likely origin, but it might also be related to a given name combined with the word cot, shelter.
- It might have described someone with a prominent nose – a beak! In Middle English, the word was beke; in French, bec. Alternately, someone who gossiped could’ve been called a beke, too.
There are a handful of other possible origins out there, too, and it has such a long history of use as a surname that you can find plenty of notables.
But here’s the first one that comes to mind: twelfth century Archbishop Thomas Becket, also called Thomas à Becket. Tom went toe-to-toe with King Henry II over the rights of the King of England to exercise authority over the church. Just as the pair had mostly patched things up, Henry’s supporters heard him mutter something like “Will no one rid us of this pesky priest?”
The king’s loyal followers took it as an order, and off they went to kill the archbishop.
Within two years, Thomas had been canonized, adding him to the already long list of saints named Thomas.
Then there’s Nobel Prize-winning author Samuel Beckett, a native of Dublin, Ireland, famous for his play Waiting for Godot. Along with Edward Albee, Tom Stoppard, Eugene Ionesco, Jean Genet, and a number of others, his works are usually considered “Theater of the Absurd” – plays where the characters fail to find meaning or reach a defined goal. It’s something of a bleak worldview, not made for bedtime stories.
Beckett was a major force in 20th century literature, and if his perspective isn’t exactly upbeat, his accomplishments are many. He also earned the recognition of the French government for his work in the resistance during World War II, first in Paris, then in the countryside, with a Croix de guerre.
The two famous Becketts lend their best attributes to the name – principled, intelligent, creative, bold, brainy. Beckham feels like a fleeting pop culture reference, borrowed from a high-profile athlete. But Beckett feels like he’ll stand the test of time.
There are also pop culture references that keep Beckett top of mind: the protagonist of sci fi space travel show Quantum Leap was Sam Beckett. Today, crime drama Castle includes detective Kate Beckett. Lord Cutler Beckett is a bad guy in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
While he’s still relatively unusual today, Beckett feels like he’s headed for the Top 100, a successor to other popular surname choices like Landon and Carter, Cameron and Blake. The name’s main shortcoming, then, is that he could catch on.
Shannon says
July 30, 2013 at 12:09 PMMy son is a “Beckett” (currently 8-year-old) and likes his name. He gets a lot of compliments on it when he meets someone new. My husband and I chose it because it’s not very common (which I like) but still sounds traditional (which my husband likes). Only a very few insensitive adults have called him “bucket” in his lifetime (what kind of an adult makes fun of a kid’s name to his face?). As far as kids go, playground smack talk hasn’t gone in that direction yet. But if we are talking about nicknames, just about every name could birth a nickname. I feel for my husband who inherited the family name “Hoyle” — sounds like hole so you can imagine what his childhood was like. 🙂
Chelsi says
June 1, 2013 at 11:14 AMI have a 3 year old Beckett who I think wears his name perfectly. I had never met a Beckett until about two or three years before he was born. I taught a little blond boy at a Montessori school and absolutely loved him and his unique name. I knew I wanted to use it someday. It seems appropriate that my guy is a towhead too.=)
Renee says
January 13, 2012 at 2:29 PMWe named our son Beckett in November. I know of 3 other people that named their son, as we found when ppl asked his name. We weren’t trying to be trendy or unique, just really liked the name. I am surprised by some of the responses here, as we have gotten overwhelmingly positive response. Only negative was more of hesitation from my husband’s more traditional parents. His mom recently admitted that it fits him, her boyfriend said he loves it (he’s 75). One person told my husband we made it up, haha. Some call him Beck, which is fine by us.
British American says
December 3, 2011 at 7:35 PMSo I rather like Beckett. Not one that I’d use, but it sounds handsomely boyish to me and it doesn’t bother me really that it’s a last-name. (Sometimes that would bother me.) Totally doesn’t make me think of buckets – mainly makes me think of the guy who played Sam Beckett, though I couldn’t remember which character of his was associated with Beckett.
Lemon says
December 2, 2011 at 11:17 PMI’m honestly surprised by all the Beckett-hate! And the thoughts of buckets. Then again, I’m one who can’t be bothered by the Violet-violent and Charlotte-harlot associations, either. Why is it that ends-in-t names seem to have these associations for people?
Rosy says
December 3, 2011 at 2:51 PMI’m not bothered by the violent/harlot thing with Violet and Charlotte at all, so I can’t speak for anyone else on that, but I think part of the reason Beckett is so reminiscent of buckets for me is that it’s a surname name not traditionally used as a first name. Violet and Charlotte have hundreds of years’ worth of associations on actual people, and the only person I know with the last name Beckett is the medieval Thomas (well, obviously I don’t actually KNOW him ;)).
Lemon says
December 4, 2011 at 12:10 PMThat is a really good point, Rosy. Charlotte and Violet certainly have more first name use. But, to me, Beckett doesn’t even sound like “bucket,” at all! I do get the Thomas Becket and Samuel Beckett connections, though…
Rosy says
December 2, 2011 at 10:07 PMYuck. I’ve always hated Beckett; it’s extremely trendy and I just think of buckets.
Julie says
December 2, 2011 at 5:15 PMOne of Maria’s classmates has a baby sibling named Beckett. They have a surname like “Floyd” and little Becket’s mom told me people are frequently flipping the names around.. as if “Floyd” was a typical baby name. If Beckett gets any closer to the top100, they probably won’t have this problem anymore.
I prefer Albee 😉 , but I could warm up to Beckett.
Car says
December 2, 2011 at 4:08 PMI know of a little girl (born in 2007) and little boy named Beckett (born in 2006). Are there any stats on Beckett for girls?
appellationmountain says
December 2, 2011 at 4:43 PMThere were 21 girls named Beckett in 2010 – I haven’t looked back, but I’m guessing there have never been more. The possibility of using Becky as a nickname makes her feel like Emerson or Ellison or Elliot, I think … and yet, she isn’t catching on in big numbers – yet.
Abbey says
December 2, 2011 at 2:00 PMin the Boston/New England area at least, the Red Sox’s phenom pitcher Josh Beckett definitely led to what seemed to be a surge in wee Becketts running around. likely that was a passing influences, though. I kind of like the name, but I’m not sure if I could articulate clearly why…
appellationmountain says
December 3, 2011 at 8:33 PMInteresting – funny how that kind of influence can really make a difference!
SkyeRhyly says
December 2, 2011 at 1:09 PMNot a huge fan of this name, reminds me of “bucket”. But I can see why it’s trendy, most -tt names are all the rage these days.
Lemon says
December 2, 2011 at 12:26 PMWell, I love Beckett! It’s probably my second-favorite boy name after Jude. I grew up really adoring Bennett, but my brother is Ben, so that would be weird. To me, Beckett has this smart-but-comfy vibe going on that I really like. I’m attracted to surname-names (e.g., Archer) and names that aren’t really surnames but sound that way (e.g., Holden) – Beckett really fits the bill. I think Beck and Becks are handsome nicknames – not just because of the David Beckham connection, which I really don’t care about – and for something cutesy, Bee seems fitting. I just think Beckett is a great name!
Sarah A says
December 2, 2011 at 9:57 AMI don’t really understand the appeal of Beckett. I’m sorry, but all I hear is bucket and beckon. And I’m not big on surnames as first names.
Wyatt is the only -tt ending name I really like.
namemuststay says
December 2, 2011 at 2:56 PMToo close to ‘bucket’ for me personally, but I absolutely see the appeal.
Zeffy says
December 2, 2011 at 9:32 AMI went to University where Thomas Becket is buried, so the name is out for me. Also, in England the name is too associated with the saint, and that’s what people will think of first. Saying that, I really do like it.
Lou @ Mer de noms says
December 2, 2011 at 10:31 AMName of my former secondary school, and since most of my friends hated the place, it’s unlikely that I’d use the name, despite liking the short form of Beck. Thanks to the school, I also know more about Thomas Becket than is really advisable.
Panya says
December 2, 2011 at 3:42 AMWe considered this as a middle name because my mother-in-law’s maiden name has ‘beck’ in it. I just prefer Beck by itself, but that doesn’t flow well in combos. Darn you Beck Hansen, for making me like this one so much! 😛
countrylizb says
December 2, 2011 at 2:57 AMAnother Sci Fi reference for Beckett would be Dr. Carson Beckett in Stargate Atlantis.
Kat says
December 2, 2011 at 2:26 AMBeck Weathers is another bearer of the name. He was one of the surviving members of the doomed Everest expedition that killed Scott Fischer and several others…Jon Krakauer wrote a book on this expedition. Beck is actually his middle name, his full name being Seaborn Beck Weathers, which turned me on to both Seaborn and Beck as names. Just love them as a combo or individually. But seeing how popular Beckett is getting, that makes me less likely to use it…maybe just as a middle name. 🙁
appellationmountain says
December 3, 2011 at 8:42 PMOh, I read that years ago – funny, I had “Beck Weathers” floating through my head at one point while I was writing this, but I kept thinking he was a musician. Beck is handsomely rugged, isn’t he? And Seaborn … over-the-top preppy, but Seaborn has a certain outdoorsy vibe, too. I just read an old interview with him and WOW! http://climb.mountainzone.com/interviews/2001/weathers/html/index.html
Kat says
December 5, 2011 at 3:02 AMWow! Thanks for the link, I haven’t read that one yet. It’s quite deep. I’ve always admired Beck Weathers and thought his name was quite fitting. You’re right about Seaborn seeming over-the-top preppy, but I look at it more as an outdoorsy name. Makes me think of salt water spraying onto my face as I ride a boat across the sea. 🙂 also, it’s an old, old name…that appeals all the more to me!