Find out how popular the last name Bega is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bega.

Bega, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bega surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bega in America

Bega is the 28967th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bega surname appeared 820 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bega.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bega to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bega

The surname BEGA originated in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "beg," meaning dweller by a stream or brook. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "Bega."

In the Middle Ages, the name was often associated with people who lived near streams or rivers, and it was common in areas like Yorkshire and Lancashire. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, which mentioned a Thomas Bega.

During the 13th century, the name began to spread to other parts of England, and it appeared in various forms such as Begha, Beighe, and Beaghe. In 1275, a Walter Bega was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire.

In the 14th century, the name was further anglicized and appeared as Bega and Begha. One notable figure from this time was John Bega, a merchant from York who was mentioned in historical records from 1379.

By the 16th century, the name had become more standardized as BEGA. In 1523, a William BEGA was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire. Another prominent individual with this surname was Robert BEGA, a scholar and clergyman who lived from 1495 to 1557.

Moving into the 17th century, the name continued to be found across England. One notable example was Thomas BEGA, a landowner from Lincolnshire who was born in 1620 and died in 1693.

In the 18th century, the name BEGA was associated with several notable figures, including John BEGA, a writer and poet who lived from 1715 to 1788, and William BEGA, a renowned architect who designed several churches in London and was born in 1739 and died in 1811.

As the centuries progressed, the surname BEGA continued to be found throughout various regions of England, with some bearers of the name achieving prominence in various fields, such as literature, academia, and the arts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bega

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bega.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bega was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bega has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bega was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bega, please contact us.

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