This surname has two origins. Firstly, it is a nickname for someone with a prominent nose, deriving from the Middle English "beke" meaning beak or a bird, plus the diminutive suffix "ey". Secondly, it may derive from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "Beocca, Becca", also used as a byname from "becca" meaning pick-axe, plus the diminutive suffix. The surname dates back to the late 11th Century (see below). Further recordings include Osbert Becche (circa 1140) in the "Early London Personal Names", and Henry Bec (1196) in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire. Variations in the spelling of the surname include Becky, Beckie, Beecky, and Beeckey. London Church Records list the marriage of Peter Beckey to Judith Norryce on February 14th 1574 at St. Giles, Cripplegate, and the christening of Sarah, daughter of John and Mary Beeckey, on October 22nd 1772 at Lying in Hospital, Endell Street. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Walter Bec, which was dated 1086, in the "Domesday Book", during the reign of King William 1st, known as "The Conqueror", 1066 - 1087. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.