boy's name
Beckett
BEK-it
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 32,874
the United States
#141
2025 births
Beckett is a boy's name of Old English origin, most likely meaning "bee cottage" or "stream." It is a surname turned given name, carried by both Thomas Becket and Samuel Beckett — two men who could hardly have less in common.
- Beckett is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 2,625 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,263 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1966.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Beckett over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1960s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 5 |
| 1990s | 68 |
| 2000s | 2,452 |
| 2010s | 15,053 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 12,952 |
What Beckett means
Beckett has two competing readings. Bee cottage takes beo, bee, with cot, cottage; the alternative reads bekkr, a stream, from Old Norse, which survives in northern English beck.
Where Beckett comes from
Beckett is an English surname with more than one plausible root. The bee-cottage reading combines the Old English beo and cot; the stream reading comes from the Old Norse bekkr, the word behind northern English beck, still ordinary usage in Yorkshire and Cumbria. Thomas Becket, murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170 after Henry II's reported outburst, made the surname famous; Samuel Beckett, born in Dublin in 1906, gave it a wholly different weight. Its use as a first name is recent and almost entirely American.
Beckett in use
Our data shows Beckett peaking in 2025 and still rising, and it first appears in our records in 1966 — very late for a surname documented since the twelfth century. Its climb is American; in England and Wales, where the Becket association is strongest, it barely registers.
How popular is Beckett?
In 2025, Beckett was given to 2,625 babies in the United States, ranking #141 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Beckett is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Beckett
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Beckett also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Beckett over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Beckett
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Beckett in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Beckett
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Beckett — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Beckett
What does the name Beckett mean?
Most likely "bee cottage," from the Old English beo and cot — though a competing reading gives "stream," from the Norse bekkr.
Is Beckett named after Samuel Beckett?
Some bearers are, though the surname is far older — Thomas Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.
Is Beckett used in Britain?
Barely, despite the Becket association. Its rise as a first name is almost entirely American.
How popular is the name Beckett?
In 2025, Beckett was given to 2,625 babies in the United States, ranking #141 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Beckett a girl's or a boy's name?
Beckett is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Beckett?
Beckett has 2 syllables.
When was Beckett most popular?
Beckett peaked in 2025, when 2,625 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Beckett?
Beckett is usually shortened to Beck and Bex.
Is Beckett a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Beckett currently ranks #141 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.