About Beau
Beau is a French word meaning beautiful or handsome, used as a given name in English. Its four letters produce one clear syllable, BOH. The name has connections with Regency fashion through Beau Brummell and with modern acting through Beau Bridges, while its American popularity has risen sharply in recent years.
A French word in personal naming
Beau is the masculine form of the French adjective for beautiful. As an English given name, it became established during the twentieth century, carrying an ordinary French word into a new naming setting.
Margaret Mitchell used Beau for Ashley and Melanie's son in Gone with the Wind, published in 1936. That literary appearance gives the name a recognizable place before its much larger recent American rise.
English Beau rhymes with go. Bo is an alternative spelling used in English, but Beau preserves the French written form. The full name is already one syllable, leaving little practical need for a shorter everyday version.
The original Beau Brummell
George Bryan Brummell, born in 1778, became known as Beau Brummell. The familiar name belonged to one of Regency England's most influential figures in dress and social style.
He moved to Chesterfield Street in London's Mayfair in 1799, after inheriting money and leaving the Army. His friendship with the Prince of Wales, later George IV, helped place him close to the center of fashionable society.
Brummell favored excellent cloth, precise tailoring, and restraint over the elaborate display associated with eighteenth-century dress. His carefully arranged cravat became an especially recognizable part of that style.
The association gives Beau a specific historical image: an individual whose influence depended on the details of clothing and presentation. In his case, Beau was a familiar designation attached to a man originally named George.
Beau Bridges on television
Actor Beau Bridges gives the name a modern first-name bearer. He won the 1992 Emmy for lead actor in a miniseries or special for playing James Brady in Without Warning: The James Brady Story.
That performance places Beau in the credits of a dramatized real-life story rather than a character carrying the same given name. Bridges's long television career has kept the short name visible across very different roles.
Brummell and Bridges therefore supply two distinct associations: a historical nickname in the world of fashion and an actor's familiar professional name in film and television.
American popularity
Beau rose from 507 United States boys in 2000 to 766 in 2010, then grew much more rapidly. In 2025 it reached its strongest ranking and largest annual count, at #60 with 5,165 births.
Girls also receive the name, including fifty-nine in 2025, although recent American use has been overwhelmingly masculine. The rise contrasts with 1950, when the series recorded only ten boys named Beau.
Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution
Meaning and history draw on the references below. American figures use the local Social Security Administration series for this exact spelling and sex; counts below five are omitted. Existing Wiktionary content is available under CC BY-SA. Suggested shortenings are identified in the prose.
How popular is Beau?
In 2025, Beau ranked #60 among boys in the United States, with 5,165 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for boys in 1932; its largest annual count was 5,165 in 2025. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.