Beverley
/ˈbɛv.ər.li/noun
A town in East Riding of Yorkshire, England, and a surname and given name derived from it.
Did you know?The place-name Beverley is traditionally explained as meaning “beaver clearing” or “beaver meadow,” from Old English *beofor* “beaver” + *lēah* “woodland clearing,” showing how English place names often preserve vanished landscapes.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
Beoforlēah
““Beaver clearing” or “beaver meadow,” a clearing associated with beavers”
11th–12th Century
English
Beverlac / Beverlacum
“Latinized and Anglo-Norman forms used for the settlement”
Middle English
English
Beverley
“The settled place-name form of the Yorkshire town”
Modern English
English
Beverley
“A town name, surname, and given name”