Meaning and background
The story behind Bei
Bei is shared by unrelated surname traditions. The dictionary records Italian Bèi as a regional form of Belli, particularly in Perugia, and Chinese romanizations of more than one character. The shell or cowrie gloss belongs specifically to 貝. Without the original Chinese character or a known family connection, assigning that gloss to every Bei would be misleading; the short Latin spelling leaves the intended history open.
- Origin
- Bei includes Italian Bèi, a regional form of Belli, and Chinese surnames 貝 and 秘; 貝 means cowrie or shell. Source
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Everyday moments“Bei, come here!”
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About Bei
Recorded as a dog’s name
Bei appears in 4 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
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Sources and research notes (1)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.