Literary Characters Names, Saints Names, Shakespeare Names, English Names, French Names, German Names, Italian Names

English, French, German and Italian speaking countries

Italian and French form of Beatrix, which is probably a form of the early Christian name Viatrix, altered to incorporate the Latin 'beatus' (blessed).

Beatrice is a character of Shakespeare's play "Much Ado About Nothing". It was also the name of a childhood friend of the poet Dante Alighieri, and she was made into a character in his "Divina Commedia".

Princess Beatrice was the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, she married Prince Henry of Battenberg. Her birth may have caused the revival of the name that occurred in the late 19th century. Beatrice is also the name of Prince Andrew, the Duke of York's daughter. She was named after Beatrice of Battenberg.

St Beatrice da Silva Meneses was a 15th century companion of Princess Isabel, the mother of Isabella of Castile, who helped unify Spain. St Beatrice went to live in a Cistercian convent in Toledo, possibly as a result of Isabel's jealousy at Beatrice's beauty. She later founded her own religious order.

Other bearers include actress Beatrice Arthur, actress Beatrice Straight and artist Beatrice Wood.

In France, Béatrice was particularly popular in the 1960s.