Beggs
A name that likely began as a nickname or patronymic from the short form Begg, itself often linked to “little” or “small.”
The #7,261 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 67,265 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Beggs is generally treated as a variant or pluralized form of Begg, a surname found in Scotland and Ireland. Historical sources connect Begg with a nickname meaning “little” or “small,” from older Gaelic or northern dialect forms used for a small person. In some cases the name may also have been reinforced by local family naming patterns, so the exact route can differ by branch.
History
The name is well attested in Scotland and appears in Irish records as well, especially in Ulster and nearby areas where Scottish and Irish naming traditions overlap. Nineteenth-century surname writers treated Beggs mainly as a close relative of Begg rather than a wholly separate origin. In the United States it appears as an established but not especially common surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries often grouped Begg, Beggs, and Biggs together because of their similar sound and nicknaming history.
From the historical record
“t)eA5, Bueg, Begg, Begge, Beggs ; Little ; Small. "beAlAcun, Belton, Weldon, Veldon. "beAttriAlJAl, Barnwell, Barne-”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames