Biver Family History

Surname Origin

The surname Biver seems to be a variant of the Beaver surname, according to Geneanet. Name spellings often change over the centuries, so it is common to see different variants of a surname.  The listed variants include: BEAVER | BEAVERS | BEVER | BEVERE | BEVEREN | BEVERT | BIVERE | BIVVIERE.

According to the House of Names website, the Beaver surname originated in Beauvoir, several locations in Normandy. It is composed of Old French roots beu, meaning fair or lovely, and voir, meaning to see. It implies that the named lives in a residence with a fine view.

The Beaver surname was first found in Berkshire, where lands had been granted to them by King William, their liege lord, for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in the 1066 A.D. Norman Conquest which was when the Normans brought the surname into England.

But due to the political and religious uncertainty in England, many boarded ships headed to other British colonies such as Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to arrive in North America were Beavers. Click to learn more about the family history.

Initially, I always check the Ancestry.com site to see what information they have. They have 7,000 historical documents on Biver ancestors. While not many, it certainly gives some hope that I will find at least a few ancestor records.

Biver Population

The House of Names website gives a lot of great information on the origins of this surname and their activity before migrating over to America. Between 1840 and 1920, the Biver family name was found in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. In 1840, there were only two Biver families living in North Carolina which accounted for 67% of all the recorded Biver’s in North America. Illinois had another Biver family, accounting for the remaining 33%.

The year 1920 had the biggest population of Biver families as compared to years prior. Illinois Biver population was up to 8 families which was the highest population at 17%, but by this time, they had started spreading throughout the United States.

Biver Occupations

In the late 1800s, Biver families held a very small variety of different jobs between the United States, Canada, and England.

In the United States, 75% of Biver’s were Farmers with the other 25% working in the farming industry while, in England, 100% of Biver’s were employed as scholastic agents.

Life Expectancy

Early on, life expectancy for Biver’s was just about the same as the General Population was. But, for the Biver family, life expectancy increased sharply by like 30 years where as the life expectancy for the general population only increased by about 20 years or so. But, unlike the general population, life expectancy took a steep decline after that initial increase.

In the United States, between the years 1951 and 2004, Biver life expectancy was at its lowest point in 2004, and highest in 1975. The average life expectancy for Biver in 1951 was 48, and 33 in 2004.

Biver Family Members I’ve Found So Far

I obviously still have a lot of work to do in order to fill this family out and discover my roots. I will be working on that in the weeks and months ahead.

Have you found any Biver’s in your family tree yet? I would love to know how they relate to my Biver ancestors! I’m hoping to find more information on why they ended up in France and then left France for the United States. I have so many questions!

As always, I will come back and update this page as I learn more about the Biver family.

Happy Searching!

~Kris

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