BEGG
Begg is a surname of ancient Scottish origin, first recorded in the British Isles during the early twelfth century. Its earliest attested form appears in a charter dated 1225, where a man named Malcolm Begge, a seneschal of Maldoweny and a relative of the Earl of Levenax, is listed. The name subsequently appears in medieval documents such as a bill for a burgess of Stirling named Malise Beg before 1300 and a workman named John Beg who was involved in the building of Cardross Castle in 1329.
The etymology of Begg is overwhelmingly linked to the Gaelic word beag, meaning "small" or "little". The surname originated as a nickname for a person of diminutive stature or a modest manner, and over time it became hereditary. The Gaelic derivation is supported by early spellings such as Bege (1574) and Beige (1600). Variants including Bigg, Beggs, Biggs, and the Irish forms Beggan and Beggin illustrate the name’s spread across the Highland and Lowland regions of Scotland and into Northern Ireland.
While some nineteenth‑century accounts note an Old English origin from begga, meaning "petitioner" or "supplicant", the bulk of documentary evidence supports the Gaelic origin. In medieval Scotland the word begg was occasionally used to describe a peasant who petitioned for favour or relief. Contemporary use of the name, however, carries no pejorative connotation and is instead associated with the noble traits of humility, perseverance and loyalty.
According to the 1881 census, the surname Begg was most prevalent in Argyll, where it ranked as the eleventh most common name, and was also common in Inverness‑shire, Ross and Cromarty, and Shetland. In modern times it remains most frequent in Scotland, particularly the Highlands, and continues to appear in Ireland—especially in County Antrim, County Down and County Londonderry—as well as in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, a distribution that reflects waves of Scottish emigration from the seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries.
Notable individuals carrying the surname include Margaret Begg, daughter of James and Janet, who was christened in Falkirk in 1644, and other historical figures recorded in official documents of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The persistence of the surname in legal, ecclesiastical and civil records over six centuries attests to its longevity and the cultural importance of its bearers within Scottish society.
Typical given names associated with the Begg surname
Male
- Alan
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- Iain
- Ian
- James
- John
- Robert
- William
Female
- Alison
- Elizabeth
- Fiona
- Gillian
- Helen
- Jean
- Jennifer
- Karen
- Lesley
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Begg in...
Braille
⠃⠑⠛⠛
Morse
-....--.--.
Semaphore
There are approximately 2,887 people named Begg in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,083rd most common surname in Britain. Around 44 in a million people in Britain are named Begg.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Begg
- Anne Begg - Politician
- Varyl Begg - Royal Navy admiral of the fleet (1908 to 1995)
- James Begg - Minister (1808 to 1883)
- Michael Begg -
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.