Beorn

Male
DWP
4 of 5

Discussion of the name

Beorn is an Old English masculine name derived from OE beorn ‘man, hero, warrior’, but some of the DB forms could equally represent anglicized forms of the Old Norse name Biorn derived from bjorn ‘bear’ (von Feilitzen 1937: 200; Fellows Jensen 1968: 54-5; Insley 1985: 27); because these forms cannot be differentiated they are treated together here under the head-form Beorn.  In addition, the DB forms Berne and Ber are ambiguous and formally could also represent the ON names Biarni and Biorr respectively (von Feilitzen 1937: 200-2); but it is likely that both forms represent Beorn and  refer to the same man (Beorn 12) and so are included here.

There are ten entries for Beorn in the PASE corpus of whom Beorn 1-2 are from the eighth century, Beorn 3 was an earl murdered in 1049, Beorn 4 is a catch-all for instances in DB and Beorn 5-10 were moneyers, mainly at eleventh-century York but with Beorn 6 active at Wareham in 1059-62.  In addition, PASE notes Beorn Leriz 1, who was the son of Swein 5 II of Denmark recorded in 1069 and who should perhaps be redesignated as Beorn 11; another Beorn was named in the Exeter guild-lists (Insley and Probert forthcoming).  Finally, for reasons given above, the PASE entries for Ber 1 and Biarni 1, catch-alls for instances of these forms in DB, are subsumed here under Beorn.

Bibliography

Fellows Jensen 1968: Gillian Fellows Jensen, Scandinavian Personal Names in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire (Copenhagen: I Kommission hos Akademisk Forlag, 1968)

Insley 1985: J. Insley, ‘Some Scandinavian personal names in south-west England from post-Conquest records’, Studia Anthroponymica Scandinavica 3 (1985)

Insley and Probert forthcoming: J. Insley and D. Probert, ‘Personal names in the Exeter guild-lists’ (forthcoming)

von Feilitzen 1937: Olof von Feilitzen, The Pre-Conquest Personal Names of Domesday Book, Nomina Germanica 3 (Uppsala: Almqvist and Wiksells, 1937)

Forms of the name

Spellings in Domesday Book: Beornus, Beorus, Ber, Bern, Berne

Spellings in Exon: Beorn

Forms in modern scholarship:

  von Feilitzen head forms: Beorn, Ber, Biarni

  Phillimore edition: Beorn, Bern, Bernard, Bjarni, Bjorr

  Alecto edition: Beorn, Ber, Biarni

Distribution map of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

List of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

Holder 1066

Shire Phil. ref. Vill DB Spelling Holder 1066 Lord 1066 Tenant-in-Chief 1086 1086 Subtenant Fiscal Value 1066 Value 1086 Value Conf. Show on Map
Dorset 41,2 Church Knowle Bern Beorn 'of Knowle' - Walter de Claville - 2.00 2.00 2.00 B Map
Norfolk 19,9 Great Bircham Bern Beorn 'of Bircham'' Edward, king William d'Écouis Roger d'Évreux 1.00 0.50 0.50 C Map
Northamptonshire 2,10 Great Everdon Bern Beorn 'of Everdon' Edward, king Odo, bishop of Bayeux William Peverel 0.50 0.25 0.50 C Map
Suffolk 16,3 Little Bealings Beorus Beorn 'of Little Bealings' Wulfric, abbot of Ely Odo, bishop of Bayeux Roger Bigod 0.42 0.40 0.40 E Map
Yorkshire 13W35 Linton Ber Beorn 'of Linton' - William de Percy Everard 'of Leathley' 1.42 0.50 0.33 C Map
Yorkshire 1W53 Castley Berne Beorn 'of Linton' - William de Percy Everard 'of Leathley' 0.50 0.13 0.02 D Map
Totals