Revision History

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12/1/2024, 10:33 PM Mike C update #117
6/13/2019, 12:17 AM Mike C update #104
2/28/2019, 2:08 PM Mike C update #102
1/22/2019, 10:01 AM Mike C update #101
5/31/2018, 2:36 PM Mike C update #99
12/8/2017, 12:41 PM Mike C update #97
7/2/2017, 10:39 PM Mike C update #95
10/20/2016, 1:17 AM Mike C update #93
3/14/2016, 9:26 PM Mike C update #91
2/12/2007, 1:03 AM Mike C earliest recorded revision

Gender Feminine
Pronounced Pron. /be.ˈaː.tʁɪks/(German) /ˈbeː.a.tʁɪks/(German) /ˈbɛ.ɒ.triks/(Hungarian) /ˈbeː.aː.trɪks/(Dutch) /ˈbiː.ə.tɹɪks/(English) /ˈbiː.tɹɪks/(English)

Meaning & History

Probably from Viatrix, a feminine form of the Late Latin name Viator meaning "voyager, traveller". It was a common name amongst early Christians, and the spelling was altered by association with Latin beatus "blessed, happy". Viatrix or Beatrix was a 4th-century saint who was strangled to death during the persecutions of Diocletian.

In England the name became rare after the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, more commonly in the spelling Beatrice. Famous bearers include the British author and illustrator Beatrix Potter (1866-1943), the creator of Peter Rabbit, and Beatrix of the Netherlands (1938-), the former queen.