Beryl is a

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

that has overwhelmingly been borne by females with reference to the mineral beryl. It is deemed unisex due to occasional American usage as a male name, likely a variant spelling of the surname Burrell whose seeming root is the Old French , a reddish-brown woolen fabric with the resultant name denoting a worker in the wool trade; Beryl may also be a variant spelling of the Yiddish (Judeo-German) male name Berel. Like most jewel names, Beryl's use as a female name dates from the late 19th-century: dancer

Beryl de Zoete Beryl Drusilla de Zoete, also known as Beryl de Sélincourt (July 1879 – 4 March 1962) was an English ballet dancer, orientalist, dance critic, and dance researcher. She is also known as a translator of Italo Svevo and Alberto Moravia. Born ...

and actress Beryl Mercer would have been among the earliest namesakes being born respectively in 1879 and 1882. The female name Beryl was always more popular in the British Isles than in North America; since the mid-20th century the name has become somewhat unfashionable in the British Isles.

Females

Females named Beryl include: * Claire Adams (née Beryl Vere Nassau Adams), actress and benefactor *

Berle Adams Berle Adams (born Beryl Adasky, 11 June 1917 – 25 August 2009) was an American music industry executive and talent booking agent best known for co-founding Mercury Records in the 1940s and later becoming a senior executive at MCA. Early life A ...

(born Beryl Adasky), music industry executive and talent booking agent * Beryl T. (Sue) Atkins, British lexicographer *

Beryl Bainbridge Dame Beryl Margaret Bainbridge (21 November 1932 – 2 July 2010) was an English writer from Liverpool. She was primarily known for her works of psychological fiction, often macabre tales set among the English working class. Bainbridge won the ...

, novelist * Beryl Baxter (née M. Ivory), actress *

Beryl Beaurepaire Dame Beryl Edith Beaurepaire, (née Bedggood; 24 September 1923 – 24 October 2018) was an Australian political activist, feminist and philanthropist. Early life and career She was born in Camberwell, Victoria to a middle-class family who ...

, feminist *

Beryl Bernay Beryl Bernay (March 2, 1926 – March 29, 2020) was an American journalist and children's television creator, as well as a painter and photographer. Early life Bernay was born Beryl Bernstein in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents were Russian-J ...

, journalist, painter, and photographer *

Beryl Bender Birch Beryl Bender Birch (born October 1942) is a teacher of yoga as exercise and a creator and guru of Power Yoga. Life Beryl Bender Birch was educated at Syracuse University, where she read English and Philosophy. In 1974 she spent six months studyin ...

, yoga teacher * Beryl Booker, pianist * Beryl Brewin (1910–1999), New Zealand marine zoologist * Beryl Paston Brown, academic and teacher * Beryl Annear Bryant, actress and theatrical producer * Beryl Bryden, jazz singer *

Beryl Burton Beryl Burton, OBE (12 May 1937 – 5 May 1996) was an English racing cyclist who dominated women's cycle racing in the UK, winning more than 90 domestic championships and seven world titles, and setting numerous national records. She se ...

, racing cyclist * Beryl W. Chan, wife of Gerald Chan * Beryl G.S. Chung, Cannes Lion award winning designer * Beryl Christie, mother of

Donald J. Harris Donald Jasper Harris (born August 23, 1938) is a Jamaican-American economist and professor emeritus at Stanford University, known for applying Post-Keynesian economics, post-Keynesian ideas to development economics. He is the father of the 49th a ...

* Beryl Cook, artist best known for her paintings * Beryl Cooke, actress * Beryl Corner, doctor * Beryl Crockford (formerly Mitchell; née Martin), rower *

Beryl Mildred Cryer Beryl Mildred Cryer (1889–1980) was a Canadian writer about Indigenous cultures on Vancouver Island. Biography Beryl Mildred Cryer was born in England in 1889, and migrated to Canada with her family as a child. She lived in Chemainus, BC for ...

, writer * Beryl Cunningham, actress and model * Beryl Davis, jazz singer *

Beryl Dean Beryl Dean MBE (2 August 1911 – 2001) was a British embroiderer. She was known for rejecting the traditional Victorian designs and for creating her own contemporary embroidery designs. Life Dean was born in Bromley in 1911. Her mother, Marion, w ...

, British religious embroiderer *

, ballet dancer * Beryl May Dent, mathematical physicist, technical librarian, and programmer * Beryl Killeen Donkin, legal secretary * Beryl-Adolphs Nalowa Esembe, sociologist and anthropologist * Beryl Evans (née Williams), politician * Beryl Evans, murder victim by John Christie * Beryl Evans, actress, wife of Frank Thornton * Beryl Fletcher, feminist author *

Beryl Fox Beryl Fox (born December 10, 1931) is a Canadian documentary film director and film producer. Biography Fox was born in 1931 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. After graduating from the University of Toronto she was hired by the CBC and worked there from ...

, documentary film director and producer * Beryl Gaffney, politician * Béryl Gastaldello, swimmer * Beryl Gilroy (née Answick), novelist and teacher * Beryl Goldwyn Karney, ballet dancer * Beryl Cynthia Gordon, wife of

Harry Bloom Harry Saul Bloom (1 January 1913 – 28 July 1981) was a South African journalist, novelist, activist and lecturer. Early life and career Solomon Harris Bloom was born into a Jewish South African family. He was educated at the University of the W ...

Beryl Grant Beryl Grant (11 September 1921 – 4 November 2017) was an Australian nurse, community worker, and public servant. Life Grant was the daughter of Norman William Grant (1888–1927) and Annie (née Laurie; 1889–1935), born on 11 September 192 ...

, nurse, community worker, and public servant * Beryl Grey, ballet dancer * Beryl "Beb" Hearnden, farmer, journalist, and author * Beryl D. Hines, Cold War-era journalist and aunt of

Amy Brenneman Amy Frederica Brenneman (born June 22, 1964) is an American actress and producer. She worked extensively in television, coming to prominence as Detective Janice Licalsi in the ABC police drama series ''NYPD Blue'' (1993–1994). Brenneman nex ...

* Beryl A. Howell, judge *

Beryl Hutchinson Beryl Hutchinson MBE (22 August 1892 – 6 November 1981) was a British volunteer ambulance driver and officer of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. After the war she became Life President of the Society for Study of Physiological Patterns ( Palmi ...

, British volunteer ambulance driver and officer of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry *

Beryl Ingham Beryl Ingham (1901 – 24 December 1960) was the wife and manager of singer/actor George Formby, as well as being a variety performer and champion clogdancer. She was born in Haslingden, Lancashire, the youngest daughter of John James Ingham and ...

, dancer and actress * Beryl Elaine Jacka, administrator * Beryl Jones (née Davies), politician * Beryl Koltz, film director * Beryl Korot, video artist *

Béryl Laramé Béryl Laramé (born 1 July 1973) is a retired Seychellois female track and field athlete who specialised in high jump and triple jump events. She won two silvers and one bronze medal in the African Championships between 1993 and 2000. Her pe ...

, athlete *

Beryl J. Levine Beryl Joyce Levine (née Choslovsky; November 9, 1935 – June 4, 2022) was a List of justices of the North Dakota Supreme Court, justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court from 1985 to 1996. Levine was the first ever female justice of the state's ...

, female justice * Beryl Levinger, academic and teacher * Beryl Ann Longino, wife of

Lloyd Bentsen Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr. (February 11, 1921 – May 23, 2006) was an American politician who was a four-term United States Senator (1971–1993) from Texas and the Democratic Party nominee for vice president in 1988 on the Michael Dukakis ti ...

* Beryl Markham (née Clutterbuck), horse trainer and aviator * Beryl Marsden, singer * Beryl Marshall, swimmer * Beryl McBurnie, dancer *

Beryl McLeish Beryl Elizabeth McLeish, (''née'' King; 6 February 190210 January 1974) was an Australian civil servant and a wartime superintendent of the Australian Women's Land Army (AWLA). Early life Beryl Elizabeth King was born on 6 February 1902 in ...

(née King), civil servant and wartime superintendent * Beryl Measor, actress * Beryl Mercer, actress * Beryl Mills, advertising agent, librarian, and beauty queen * Beryl Ann "Bel" Mooney, journalist and broadcaster *

Beryl Nashar Beryl Scott Nashar (9 July 1923 – 5 May 2012) was an Australian geologist, academic and first female Dean at an Australian university. Early life and education She was born Beryl Scott on 9 July 1923 in Maryville, New South Wales. She grew up ...

, geologist, academic, and teacher *

Beryl Noakes Beryl O Noakes (born 29 July 1942) is a British former swimmer. Swimming career She competed in the women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics. She represented England and won a bronze medal in the freestyle relay at t ...

, swimmer * Beryl Oliver, British charity administrator *

Beryl Penrose Beryl Penrose (22 December 1930 – 20 June 2021) was an Australian international tennis player. She competed in the Australian Open eight times, from 1950 to 1957. Penrose won the singles title in 1955 defeating compatriot Thelma Coyne Long ...

, tennis player * Beryl H. Potter (born Edna Beryl Hinkle), American astronomical researcher * Beryl Potter, Canadian disability activist * Beryl Powell, wife of Adam Clayton Powell III, daughter of Eileen Slocum and John Slocum * Beryl Preston, British sailor *

Beryl Radin Beryl A. Radin (born 1936) is an American public administration author, researcher and academic. An elected member of thNational Academy of Public Administration she was the Managing Editor of thJournal of Public Administration Research and Theor ...

, scholar, scientist, editor, and teacher * Beryl Randle, race walker and an athletics administrator *

Beryl Rawson Beryl Rawson (née Wilkinson; 24 July 1933 – 22 October 2010) was an Australian academic. She was Professor and Visiting Fellow in Classics at the Faculty of Arts of the Australian National University (ANU). Her work "made ANU a significant ce ...

(née Marie Wilkinson), writer, and teacher * Beryl Reid, actress * Beryl Hilda Rigg (née Helliwell), mother of Diana Rigg * Beryl D. Roberts, politician *

Beryl Rowland Beryl Winnifred Rowland (April 10, 1918 - April 24, 2003) was a Scottish-Canadian literature scholar, especially of Chaucer, having been Distinguished Research Professor at York University in Toronto. She was the first woman doctoral graduate in E ...

, historian and teacher *

Beryl Satter Beryl Satter (born 14 January 1959) is an American historian and a professor of history at Rutgers University. Life Satter was born on 14 January 1959 as the daughter of civil rights lawyer Mark J. Satter, who fought for black families suffer ...

, historian and teacher * Beryl Smalley, historian * Beryl Smeeton, traveller *

Beryl Splatt Beryl Audrey Pickering Splatt (1902-1982) was an Australian biochemist. She was born in 1902 in Perth, Australia. Her parents, Maud Rebecca Pickering from Victoria and William James Splatt from Perth, had married in July 1898 in Perth. Perhaps ...

, biochemist * Beryl Swain (née J Tolman), road racer * Beryl Te Wiata (née McMillan), actor, author, and scriptwriter *

Beryl Tsang Beryl Tsang is a Canadian fibre artist and founder of Tits-Bits: Hand Knitted Breasts. She is original creator of the knitted breast prosthetic. Origin In response to her own mastectomy following breast cancer and disappointment with commerc ...

, fibre artist * Beryl Vertue, television producer * Beryl Wallace (born Beatrice Heischuber), singer, dancer, and actress * Beryl Wamira, athlete *

Beryl Williams Beryl Elizabeth Williams (May 23, 1914 – May 7, 1999) played a leading role in the desegregation of the Baltimore public school system and is considered the mother of continuing education at Morgan State University, a historical black college ...

, politician and school teacher

Males

Males named Beryl include: * Beryl Anthony Jr., politician *

Beryl F. Carroll Beryl Franklin Carroll (March 15, 1860 – December 16, 1939) was the 20th governor of Iowa from 1909 to 1913. He was the first native-born governor of Iowa. Biography Carroll was born in Davis County, Iowa; he graduated from the Missouri State ...

, politician * Beryl Clark, football player * Beryl Drummond, basketball player * Beryl Follet, football player *

Beryl Newman Beryl Richard Newman (November 2, 1911 – March 8, 1998) was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War II as a first lieutenant in the United States Army. Biography Newman was a native of Baraboo, Wisconsin. During World ...

, Medal of Honor recipient * Beryl Richmond, baseball player * Barney Ross (born Dov-Ber "Beryl" David Rosofsky), boxer * Beryl Rubinstein, composer * Beryl Cyril Sheldon Jr., known professionally as Jack Sheldon, musician, singer, comedian, actor *

Beryl Shipley Beryl Clyde Shipley (August 10, 1926 – April 15, 2011) was an American basketball coach. A native of Kingsport, Tennessee, he is best known for his tenure as head coach of the University of Southwestern Louisiana—now as the University of L ...

, basketball coach *

Beryl Sprinkel Beryl Wayne Sprinkel (November 20, 1923 – August 22, 2009) was a Under Secretary for Monetary Affairs in the US Treasury from January 1981 to April 1985, and member of the Executive Office of the US President and chairman of the Council of Ec ...

, member of the Executive Office of the U.S. President

Pseudonym

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

(as Beryl Evans)

Fictional characters

*Beryl, in ''

Beryl and the Croucher "Beryl and the Croucher" is a short story by the British writer Thomas Burke which was part of his 1916 collection ''Limehouse Nights''. A washed-up boxer, known as "the Croucher" for his distinctive fighting style, having fought his last fight sin ...

'' *Beryl, played by Toni Collette, an emu character in Australian CGI animated film '' Blinky Bill the Movie'' *"Beryl" Beryllinthranox, in '' Dragonlance'' *Beryl, played by Carol White, in '' A Matter of WHO'' *Beryl, played by Alexandra Dane, in '' Not on Your Nellie'' *

Queen Beryl The is a group of fictional characters in the '' Sailor Moon'' manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. They are the chief villains of the first story arc in every version of the series, and were first introduced in the first chapter of the manga, "Usa ...

, a villainess in the anime ''

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...

'' * Beryl the Peril, British cartoon character, in '' The Topper'' and others *Beryl Abbott, played by Georgann Johnson, in the ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'' episode "One For The Road" *Beryl Battersby, played by Paula Wilcox, in ''

The Lovers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' *Beryl Blenheim, in '' Chart Throb'' * Beryl Chugspoke, played by Georgina Hale, in '' Emmerdale'' *Beryl Crabtree, played by Patricia Garwood, in '' No Place Like Home'' * Beryl Crossthwaite, played by Joan Scott, in '' Emmerdale'' *Aunt Beryl Fairfield, in ''

Prelude Prelude may refer to: Music *Prelude (music), a musical form *Prelude (band), an English-based folk band *Prelude Records (record label), a former New York-based dance independent record label *Chorale prelude, a short liturgical composition for ...

'' *Beryl Hennessey, played by Polly James in '' The Liver Birds'' *Beryl Humphries, played by Carmel McSharry, in ''

Beryl's Lot ''Beryl's Lot'' is a British comedy drama about a woman approaching middle-age and embarking on a programme of personal development. It was written by Kevin Laffan (who also created Emmerdale), produced by David Cunliffe and Peter Willes, and di ...

'' *Beryl Hutchinson, the third and most recent DC Comics

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

known as Squire *Beryl Stratton Madison, in '' Body of Evidence'' *Beryl Matt, in '' A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove'' *Beryl Merit, played by

Rosalind Knight Rosalind Marie Knight (3 December 1933 – 19 December 2020) was an English actress. Her career spanned 70 years on stage, screen, and television. Her film appearances include ''Blue Murder at St Trinian's'' (1957), ''Carry On Nurse'' (1959), ' ...

, in '' Gimme Gimme Gimme'' *Beryl Newsome, played by

Madelaine Newton Madelaine Newton is a British actress best known for her portrayal of Dolly in 1970s BBC television drama '' When the Boat Comes In''. Since 1984 she has been married to actor Kevin Whately, known for his role as Robert "Robbie" Lewis in both '' ...

, in ''Inspector Morse'' episode "Masonic Mysteries" * Beryl Patmore, played by Lesley Nicol, the cook on the ITV series '' Downton Abbey'' *Beryl Hayden Peacock (also Elliott), played by Anny Tobin, in ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

'' *Beryl Stapleton, in '' The Hound of the Baskervilles'' *Red Beryl in '' Land of the Lustrous'' *Beryl Walters, played by Margaret Barton in the film, a character in the play ''Still Life'' and film '' Brief Encounter'' by

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

Other uses

* 1729 Beryl, an asteroid named for Beryl H. Potter {{given name Feminine given names