2000
#11,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,560
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Begin
A surname of French origin, derived from the Old French word "begin," meaning a dancer or jester.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,658 Americans carry the last name Begin. That puts it at #12,715 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Begin 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.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 128,952
Census rank
#12,715
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,318 bearers of the surname Begin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12715th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Begin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Begin
The surname Begin originates from France, dating back to the medieval period around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "begin," meaning "beginner" or "novice." This name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was new to a particular trade, craft, or community.
The earliest recorded instances of the Begin surname can be found in various historical documents from the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France. It is possible that the name appeared in the famous Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Begin surname was Jehan Begin, a notable merchant and landowner from the town of Rouen in Normandy, who lived during the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Guillaume Begin, a skilled blacksmith from the village of Plougastel in Brittany, who was mentioned in local records from the early 14th century.
In the 15th century, the Begin surname gained prominence with the rise of Jean Begin, a respected lawyer and judge who served in the Parlement of Paris from 1452 to 1478. His son, Jacques Begin, became a renowned scholar and theologian, authoring several influential works on ecclesiastical law during the late 15th century.
As the surname spread across France, it also found its way into various place names, such as Begincourt in the Somme region and Begincourt-les-Royes in Picardy. These place names likely derived from the Begin surname, reflecting the presence of families bearing this name in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the Begin surname throughout history include:
1. Louis Begin (1582-1647), a French explorer and settler in New France (present-day Canada).
2. Émile Begin (1845-1923), a Canadian journalist and politician who served as a member of the House of Commons.
3. Cardinal Louis-Nazaire Begin (1840-1925), a prominent Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Quebec from 1898 to 1925.
4. Mgr. Paul-Eugène Begin (1858-1936), a French-Canadian priest and educator who founded the Collège de Lévis in Quebec.
5. Monique Begin (born 1936), a Canadian academic and politician who served as the Minister of National Health and Welfare from 1977 to 1979.
The Begin surname has a rich history rooted in the medieval French tradition of descriptive nicknames, and it has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including merchants, artisans, lawyers, clergymen, and political figures over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Begin
Among Census respondents with the surname Begin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Begin 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 Begin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 2,163
- Two or more races3.0% · 70
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 42
- Black or African American0.9% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Begin
Begin 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
#11,839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,644
+84 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 512 places
2020
#12,715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,318
-326 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 876 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,327 | 2,560 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,839 | 2,644 | 0.90 | +84 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 512 places |
| 2020 | #12,715 | 2,318 | 0.78 | -326 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 876 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 Begin 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 | #11,839 | #12,715 | -7.4% |
| Count | 2,644 | 2,318 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.78 | -13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Begin bearers went from 2,644 to 2,318 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 876 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,839 to #12,715.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Begin
FAQ
Begin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Begin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,658 living Americans carry the surname Begin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,952 residents.
How common is Begin?
Begin ranks #12,715 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,318 people with the surname Begin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,658), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Begin.
Has Begin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Begin went from 2,644 recorded bearers to 2,318. That is a decrease of 326 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,839 to #12,715.
What does the Census say about the background of Begin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Begin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Begin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (2,163 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Begin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Begin (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 Begin mean?
A surname of French origin, derived from the Old French word "begin," meaning a dancer or jester. 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 Begin (0.78 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 common is the surname Begin?
See how many people have the last name Begin on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.