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A name. A world of connections.
A given name in English and Old English
[ˈbe͜oːˌwuɫf] · Old English
01 / Meaning & origin
Beowulf is a masculine given name documented in English and Old English.
Uncertain; traditionally derived from bēo (“bee”) + wulf (“wolf”), used as a kenning for “bear” or “woodpecker”. Most recently analysed theophorically from Bēow (“Beow”) + wulf (“wolf”). Probably cognate with Old Norse Bjólfr (from earlier *Bíolfr, *Béolfr).
02 / Across borders
Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.
The name atlas
11
countries in our sources
Select a country to follow Beowulf’s connections around the world.
2 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.
Selected country
Statistics + language records
United States, 2025: 7 boys (rank 9714). Documented as a given name in English.
Explore United States4 of 11 countries
03 / By the numbers
Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.
1880–2025 Spelling: Beowulf
Recorded category boys
Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.
Source: US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
Integer application counts retained without rounding.
Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.
| Year | Applications | Rank | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1881 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1882 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1883 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1884 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1885 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1886 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1887 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1888 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1889 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1890 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1891 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1892 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1893 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1894 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1895 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1896 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1897 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1898 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1899 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1900 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1901 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1902 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1903 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1904 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1905 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1906 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1907 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1908 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1909 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1910 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1911 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1912 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1913 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1914 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1915 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1916 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1917 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1918 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1919 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1920 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1921 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1922 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1923 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1924 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1925 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1926 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1927 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1928 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1929 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1930 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1931 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1932 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1933 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1934 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1935 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1936 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1937 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1938 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1939 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1940 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1941 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1942 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1943 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1944 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1945 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1946 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1947 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1948 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1949 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1950 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1951 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1952 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1953 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1954 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1955 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1956 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1957 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1958 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1959 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1960 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1961 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1962 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1963 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1964 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1965 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1966 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1967 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1968 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1969 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1970 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1971 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1972 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1973 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1974 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1975 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1976 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1977 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1978 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1979 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1980 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1981 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1982 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1983 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1984 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1985 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1986 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1987 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1988 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1989 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1990 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1991 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1992 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1993 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1994 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1995 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1996 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1997 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1998 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1999 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2000 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2001 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2002 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2003 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2004 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2005 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2006 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2007 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2008 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2009 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2010 | 6 | 10,766 | observed |
| 2011 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2012 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2013 | 7 | 9,655 | observed |
| 2014 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2015 | 6 | 10,644 | observed |
| 2016 | 8 | 8,816 | observed |
| 2017 | 7 | 9,696 | observed |
| 2018 | 6 | 10,760 | observed |
| 2019 | 7 | 9,756 | observed |
| 2020 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2021 | 11 | 7,089 | observed |
| 2022 | 7 | 9,823 | observed |
| 2023 | 9 | 8,255 | observed |
| 2024 | 5 | 12,349 | observed |
| 2025 | 7 | 9,714 | observed |
Statistics count the spelling “Beowulf” as recorded by the publisher. When a spelling has several independent origins, the counts are not split between them. Counts measure applications. Gaps are years without a published value, not zeros.
Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.
Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC0-1.0
Read our methodology04 / Through time
Passages quoted verbatim from public-domain reference works. They reflect the scholarship of their time, not current consensus, and may use obsolete spellings.
BEOWULF— “harvest wolf”
BEOWULF, _m._ _A.S._ Teu. harvest wolf, 335
Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Glossary of Christian Names · Public domain (Project Gutenberg)
A little story to keep
Take the story of Beowulf with you. Create a personal name passport with its meaning, roots and connections.
06 / Behind the facts
Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-15.
SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Statistik Austria — Vornamen (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1): first names of live births, Austria, 1984-2025 (national counts from district rows)
Statistik Austria (Bundesanstalt Statistik Österreich) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.
