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

Begody, 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 Begody surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Begody in America

Begody is the 148347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Begody surname appeared 111 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 Begody.

We can also compare 2010 data for Begody 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 Begody

The surname Begody has its origins in the southern part of France, specifically in the Languedoc region. It first appeared in records from the 12th century, deriving from the Old French word "begout" which means a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a small watercourse.

One of the earliest known references to the name is found in a manuscript from the Abbey of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, dated around 1180. It mentions a landowner named Raimond Begody who held property in the village of Aniane. The name is also recorded in the Seigneurial Records of Gignac from 1245, where a Pierre Begody is listed as a tenant farmer.

By the 13th century, variations of the name began to appear, such as Begodis and Begodys. These spellings likely reflect regional dialects and differences in record-keeping. In 1312, a Guillaume Begodis is recorded as a member of the local militia in the town of Pézenas.

The name appears to have spread beyond the Languedoc region by the 14th century. In 1378, a merchant named Jacques Begody is mentioned in the records of the city of Marseille, involved in trade with the Italian states. Around the same time, a family by the name of Begody is documented as landowners in the village of Caunes-Minervois.

One notable figure with this surname was Jean Begody, a cleric and theologian who lived from 1450 to 1518. He served as the Bishop of Agde and was known for his writings on ecclesiastical law. Another was Étienne Begody, born in 1625, who was a renowned sculptor and woodcarver from the town of Nîmes. His works can still be seen in several churches in the region.

In the 17th century, the name made its way to the Americas, with a Mathieu Begody listed as one of the early settlers in the French colony of Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia) in 1636. A century later, a Pierre Begody fought in the French and Indian War, serving as a militia captain under the Marquis de Montcalm.

As the name spread, it underwent further variations in spelling, such as Begodey and Begodi. These changes likely occurred due to regional dialects, as well as the challenges of record-keeping and transcription. Despite these variations, the core of the name remained recognizable throughout its history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Begody

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

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

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

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