It's just very nickname-y to me--like
Buddy or Skip. It's also another name for "boyfriend". 'That's her beau, isn't he cute?' Very Little-House-on-the-Prairie, but akin to calling your son
Guy, which I've always found a little strange. LOL. :b
It's not a horrible name, but I only see it as a nn, for one thing, though I have seen it used as a 'formal' name. I've only met one real
Beau, and he was the bratty son of the preacher from the church where I grew up (he'd be in his teens now, I think).
He was
James Jr., and
James Sr. was often called Jimbo growing up so he thought it'd be cute to call his son
Bo, but they preferred the
Beau spelling.
Bo makes me think of B.O. (as in 'body odor') and it's always a somewhat prevalent soap opera name. :b