Nestled between the Rhine and Wesser rivers is the ancient German region of Westphalia. Westphalia, the home of the name Beck. Hereditary surnames were adopted in this region after the 12th century, and surnames were derived from localities were common. Local surnames originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. When coupled with the German preposition von, which means from or of, local names can indicate that the initial bearer of the name was an aristocrat. The Beck family originally lived by a stream or a brook. The name Beck was originally derived from the German word bach which means stream.
Michel Beck, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
Mr. John Beck U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Henry Beck of St. Lawrence, Newfoundland, who captured a French banker, in 1814 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Thomas Beck was residing in St. John's Newfoundland in 1821 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
James Beck, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Robert Burns" in 1834
Miss. Margaret Beck, aged who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "New Zealand" departing 20th May 1847 from Newry, Ireland; the ship arrived on 3rd July 1847 but she died on board [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 65)
Beck Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
Louisa Beck, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on December 14, 1835, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [5]CITATION[CLOSE]
Geoffrey Beck, aged 27, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "S. S. Waimana" in 1926
Contemporary Notables of the name Beck (post 1700)
Stuart Jay Beck (1946-2016), American lawyer and a diplomat, Palauan Ambassador to Oceans and Seas (2013-2016)
Robert Nason Beck (1928-2008), American scientist and a pioneer in the field of nuclear medicine
Claude Schaeffer Beck (1894-1971), American cardiac surgeon who invented the defibrillator
Kimberly Beck (b. 1956), American actress, with over sixty television and film roles to her credit
Dave Beck (1894-1993), American labor leader, president of the Teamsters (1952-1957)
Aaron Temkin Beck (b. 1921), American psychiatrist, professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, known as the father of cognitive therapy
Helen Harriet Beck (1904-1979), birth name of Sally Rand, the burlesque dancer and actress, most noted for her ostrich feather fan dance and balloon bubble dance
Franz Ignaz Beck (1734-1809), German violinist, composer, conductor and music teacher
Ludwig Beck (1880-1944), German General, Chief of Staff of the German armed forces (1935-38), who committed suicide following his role in the unsuccessful attempt on Hitler's life
Christian Daniel Beck (1757-1832), German philologist, historian, theologian and antiquarian
^ Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
^ Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 65)