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

Beggs, 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 Beggs surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beggs in America

Beggs is the 7261st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beggs surname appeared 4,590 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Beggs.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beggs 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 Beggs

The surname "BEGGS" originated in Scotland in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "beg," which means a small bag or pouch. The name likely referred to an occupation or trade involving carrying or making bags or pouches.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of instruments of homage to King Edward I of England, where a John Beggs from Ayrshire swore fealty in 1296.

The name Beggs has also been found in various forms, such as Begges, Beggis, and Beggs, in historical documents and records, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland and the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland.

One notable person with the surname Beggs was Thomas Beggs, a Scottish clergyman who lived in the 16th century. He was the minister of Ayr from 1576 to 1590 and played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation.

Another notable figure was Sir John Beggs, a Scottish soldier and landowner who lived in the 17th century. He fought in the English Civil War and later acquired lands in County Antrim, Ireland, where he established the Beggs family estate.

In the 18th century, William Beggs, a Scottish merchant and trader, was involved in the tobacco trade between Glasgow and Virginia. He was also a member of the Virginia Company, a joint-stock company responsible for establishing the first permanent English settlement in North America.

In the 19th century, James Beggs, a Scottish-American engineer and inventor, was born in 1801. He is credited with designing and building one of the first successful locomotives in the United States, the Novelty, which participated in the famous Rainhill Trials in 1829.

Another notable person with the surname Beggs was John Beggs, a Scottish-American soldier and politician who lived in the 19th century. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War and later became a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing West Virginia from 1875 to 1877.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beggs

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

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 Beggs 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 Beggs 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 Beggs was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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