Beryl is a
given name 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
bovre, 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.