Bethune (surname)

Bethune, or Béthune, is a French and Scottish surname. It originates from the name of the city of Béthune in Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. The name of the city was first recorded in the 8th century, in the Latin form Bitunia. The city's name is likely derived from the Germanic personal name Betto.[1] The surname is first recorded in Scotland between the years 1165-90, when Robert de Betunia is recorded as witnessing a charter. According to George Fraser Black, the name was usually written in old records and charters as Betun, Beton; and Black noted that by the 16th century it had become confused with the surname Beaton.[2]

List of persons with the surname

References

  1. ^ "Learn about the family history of your surname". Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx?. Retrieved 13 October 2010.  which cited Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4.  for the surname "Bethune".
  2. ^ Black, George Fraser (1946), The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning, and History, New York: New York Public Library, p. 72