Beaman
Usually a variant of Beeman, an old occupational surname for a beekeeper or honey seller.
The #5,787 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 51,630 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Beaman is generally treated as a spelling variant of Beeman, from Middle English words for a bee-keeper or honey seller. The first element is connected with 'bee,' and the surname originally referred to a person who kept bees, sold honey, or otherwise worked with bees. Older writers also grouped it with related forms such as Beament, Beamont, and Beman, but the clearest explanation is the occupational one tied to beekeeping.
History
Nineteenth-century surname scholars such as Bardsley noted Beaman among a cluster of spellings that included Beeman and Beamis, and linked the name to the old occupation of bee-keeping. The surname appears in English records in several spellings, and later it carried over into the United States, where it remains relatively uncommon. Some early references also confused or blended it with similarly shaped names of different origin, so the occupational explanation is the safest general guide.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
An old Latinized form cited by surname historians for this occupational group is 'custos apium,' meaning 'keeper of bees.'
From the historical record
“The spellings of this surname in the Reg. Univ. Oif. vol. jL pL ii. are Beaman, Beament, Beamont, Bey- man, Beymond, &c. te^nan : HarriaEe Lie. (Londo 161^ Richard Beamond a”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances