2000
#6,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,611
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Beggs
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word "beag," meaning "small" or "little."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,911 Americans carry the last name Beggs. That puts it at #7,492 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,793 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beggs surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Beggs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 69,793
Census rank
#7,492
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,283 bearers of the surname Beggs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7492nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The name Beggs has also been found in various forms, such as Begges, Beggis, and Beggs, in historical documents and records, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland and the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beggs
Among Census respondents with the surname Beggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Beggs bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Beggs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 3,800
- Two or more races4.2% · 179
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 148
- Black or African American2.2% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beggs
Beggs appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#7,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,590
-21 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 522 places
2020
#7,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,283
-307 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,739 | 4,611 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,261 | 4,590 | 1.56 | -21 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 522 places |
| 2020 | #7,492 | 4,283 | 1.43 | -307 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 231 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Beggs surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,261 | #7,492 | -3.2% |
| Count | 4,590 | 4,283 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.43 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beggs bearers went from 4,590 to 4,283 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 231 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,261 to #7,492.
FAQ
Beggs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beggs?
Name Census estimates that about 4,911 living Americans carry the surname Beggs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,793 residents.
How common is Beggs?
Beggs ranks #7,492 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,283 people with the surname Beggs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,911), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Beggs.
Has Beggs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beggs went from 4,590 recorded bearers to 4,283. That is a decrease of 307 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,261 to #7,492.
What does the Census say about the background of Beggs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Beggs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (3,800 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beggs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Beggs (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Beggs mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word "beag," meaning "small" or "little." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Beggs (1.43 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Beggs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.