2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Begody
Irish surname derived from the Irish word "beag" meaning small or little.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Begody. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Begody 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Begody in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Begody, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Begody
Among Census respondents with the surname Begody, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Begody 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 Begody surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native90.2% · 92
- White4.9% · 5
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Begody
Begody 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+11 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,089 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-9 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,408 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 2,089 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 6,408 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 Begody 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 | #148,347 | #154,755 | -4.3% |
| Count | 111 | 102 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Begody bearers went from 111 to 102 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 6,408 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #154,755.
FAQ
Begody surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Begody?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Begody. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Begody?
Begody ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Begody. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Begody.
Has Begody become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Begody went from 111 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Begody?
Among Census respondents with the surname Begody, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Begody in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Begody appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (90.2%), White (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Begody (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 Begody mean?
Irish surname derived from the Irish 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 Begody (0.03 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 people have the surname Begody?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.