Bee
Usually an English nickname or shop-sign surname, and sometimes a shortened form of a place-name ending in -by.
The #7,434 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 68,916 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Bee is probably in most cases a nickname or occupational-style name connected with the bee, the insect traditionally associated with industry. An alternative explanation recorded by older surname scholars is that some forms ending in Bee reflect a reduced spelling of the place-name element -by, especially in names such as Applebee or similar local surnames. In other words, the name may sometimes come from a sign, a nickname, or from a place-name ending, rather than from one single source.
History
The name is found in English records in several forms and was already recognized by 19th-century surname writers as having more than one possible origin. Lower specifically treated Bee as probably referring to the original bearer’s industry or to a shop sign, while also noting that Bee can sometimes be a shortened spelling of -by in local surnames. The surname is uncommon but established in England and later appears in American records as well.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books note that many English names ending in -by were sometimes written with Bee, so Bee can hide a place-name origin that is not obvious at first glance.
From the historical record
“Bedewiue. H.R. BEE. Probably allusive to the industry of the original bearer, or the sign of his shop. g^BEE, as a termination, is a corruption of ' liy.' Examples : Holmbee, Batters- bee, Bradbee, Boltbee. BEEBY. A parish in co. Leicester. BEECH. From residence near a tree of this species. Atte-Beche. Also a place…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom