Beverly

The name originated as an Old English place name in Yorkshire, combining elements meaning beaver and stream. It migrated to North America as a surname and an occasional masculine given name. American parents shifted the name decisively toward daughters after the 1904 novel Beverly of Graustark. By mid-century, masculine registrations had dropped off, leaving the name almost entirely female.

The name reads today as a woman in her early seventies who serves on at least one civic committee. With an estimated average age of 71, a Beverly is rarely encountered on a college campus. The image is anchored by physical address books and neatly labeled freezer containers. About sixty percent of living bearers belong to the Baby Boomer cohort. The name sounds like someone who listens politely to an excuse and then asks for the receipt anyway.