Beck

Beck is an English and Scandinavian name derived from the Old Norse word bekkr, meaning a small stream or brook, which also gave rise to the common English dialect word beck used in northern England to describe a mountain stream. As a given name it began largely as a transferred use of the surname Beck, itself rooted in the same topographic term denoting someone who lived near such a waterway. It gained broader recognition as a first name in modern times, partly through cultural associations with notable bearers such as the American musician Beck Hansen. Related forms and cognates include Bec, Becca, and Rebecca, though these last two share a separate Semitic origin.