An English and Scottish surname, Bean comes from the Middle English term ‘bene’ which refers to the growing or selling of beans and to a pleasant person. There is also the Gaelic term ‘betha’ which means life. The spelling variations for Bean include McBain, Been, McBean, Beaine, MacVain, MacBean, Baine and Bayn. A German spelling of Bean would be Bohne and Biehn. In England across the country there are many individuals with the Bean name. Most live in Norfolk, Essex, Kent, Yorkshire and the city of London. In Scotland there are many with the Bean surname. Most live in Aberdeenshire, Perthshire, Lanarkshire and Angus counties. Within the United States Bean families originated in Massachusetts, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Texas and California. Famous: Alan L. Bean (astronaut), Mollie Bean (a woman in the American Civil War who dressed as a man to serve in the Confederate Army), Phantly Roy Bean Jr.(Justice of the Peace in Texas from his saloon), Orson Bean (television actor), Andy Bean (professional golfer), Marcus Bean (footballer from England) and Colter Bean (professional baseball player).