Beasant (surname)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Beasant is an Anglo-Saxon surname derived from a coin called the byzantius which is named after the city of Byzantium where they were first minted^[1] Because of the circular nature of the coins the word byzantius, as it travelled across Europe, came to mean the 'circle or disk' represented on a coat of arms (in old French).^{[citation needed]}

The word byzantius then travelled as a surname to England with Norman the Conqueror in 1066. The Beasants were gardeners in the king's court.

[edit] Notable people in the Beasant family

• Dave Beasant, English football goalkeeper.
• Annie Besant, prominent Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator.

[edit] References

1. ^ Beasant Family Crest

[edit] See also

• List of Old English (Anglo-Saxon) surnames