Meaning: Its source is beofor leac, an Old English name meaning "Beaver stream."

Nickname For: Beverly

Popularity: The name Bev ranked 2962nd in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.

Narrative: The English surname Beverley was derived from a place in Yorkshire, England. Though it was first used as a personal name for boys (and still is to some extent in Great Britain), it is now more popular for girls.

The spelling most commonly used for girls -- Beverly -- drops the ''e'' in the last syllable. This could be due to the influence of another place name: Beverly Hills, California. In the theme song to an American television comedy about simple country folk who found themselves living there, Beverly Hills was summed up in four words: ''swimming pools, movie stars.'' It is possible that some beautiful baby Beverlys were named by hopeful parents with these images in mind.