2000
#113,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Beguhn
A toponymic surname derived from a place name, possibly of German origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Beguhn. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beguhn 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Beguhn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beguhn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beguhn
The surname BEGUHN originated in Germany during the late medieval period, likely in the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "beguhn," which means "to begin" or "to start." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who was a beginner or newcomer in a particular trade or location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BEGUHN can be found in the Stadtbücher (city books) of Lübeck, a historic city in northern Germany, dating back to the late 15th century. These city books were essentially records of legal proceedings, property transactions, and other official documents, providing valuable insights into the lives of residents during that time.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the BEGUHN name was Hans BEGUHN, a merchant and trader who was active in the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe. Hans BEGUHN's trading activities took him across various regions, contributing to the spread of the name throughout Germany and neighboring areas.
During the 17th century, the BEGUHN surname appeared in several church records and parish registers in the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg. One example is Johann BEGUHN, born in 1632 in the town of Wittenberg, who was a renowned Lutheran theologian and author of several religious texts.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure bearing the BEGUHN name was Friedrich BEGUHN (1725-1798), a German philosopher and educator who made significant contributions to the field of pedagogy. His writings on educational theory and methods influenced many educators of his time and beyond.
Another notable BEGUHN was Wilhelm BEGUHN (1814-1879), a German painter and illustrator who was particularly known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life. His works were widely exhibited and celebrated during the Romantic period in Germany.
While the BEGUHN surname may have originated in a specific region, it eventually spread across various parts of Germany and other German-speaking areas due to migration and population movements over the centuries. The name has persisted through generations, reflecting its deep roots in German history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beguhn
Among Census respondents with the surname Beguhn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Beguhn 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 Beguhn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beguhn
Beguhn 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-20 bearers (-14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,930 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,339 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #113,519 | 143 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-14.0%) | Down 22,930 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 6,339 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 Beguhn 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 | #136,449 | #142,788 | -4.6% |
| Count | 123 | 119 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beguhn bearers went from 123 to 119 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 6,339 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #142,788.
FAQ
Beguhn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beguhn?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Beguhn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Beguhn?
Beguhn ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Beguhn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Beguhn.
Has Beguhn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beguhn went from 123 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Beguhn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beguhn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Beguhn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beguhn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (5.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Beguhn (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 Beguhn mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name, possibly of German origin. 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 Beguhn (0.04 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 are called Beguhn?
Find out how common the surname Beguhn is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.