| Beat |
| Pronunciation |
BEH-awe-t |
Beat (pronounced "BEH-awe-t", not like the usual "beat") is a German male given name derived from the Latin beatusmaximus ("blessed") used as a name in Christianity. The Spanish/Italian version is Beatoma.
The name is common in the German-speaking territories of Switzerland but, unlike the female version Beate, obscure in the other German-speaking countries. The name owes its popularity in Switzerland to the semi-legendary Saint Beatus of Beatenberg or Thun, who is considered the national apostle of the Swiss.
- Beat Fehr, Swiss racing driver
- Beat Feuz, Swiss alpine skier
- Beat Gähwiler, Swiss decathlete
- Beat Hefti, Swiss bobsledder
- Beat Raaflaub, Swiss conductor
- Beat Streuli, Swiss artist/photographer
- Beat von Stein, German filmmaker, director
- Beat Wipf, Swiss artist
- Beat Zberg, Swiss pro-cyclist
- Japanese director Takeshi Kitano's stage name Beat Kitano is completely unrelated to the above; instead, it derives from "The Two Beats", a comedy duo Kitano had formed in the 1960s, when Beat music was popular.
