Begum
A South Asian honorific surname from a title for a Muslim noblewoman or princess.
The #2,924 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 25,193 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Begum began as a respectful title used in South Asian Muslim societies for a noblewoman, lady, or princess. It is commonly explained as the feminine form of beg, a Turkic title meaning a lord or chieftain, filtered into Persian and then into South Asian usage. As a surname, it is usually derived from that honorific rather than from an original family-name meaning.
History
The word has been widely used across the Mughal and post-Mughal cultural sphere, especially among Muslims in North India, Bengal, and neighboring regions. In modern times it can appear as both a title and a hereditary surname, particularly in South Asian diaspora communities. The 1898 excerpt also treats Begum as a recognized title-name alongside other courtly ranks.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older romanization systems, Begum could appear in several spellings, and 19th-century writers often grouped it with other royal or noble titles rather than treating it as a standard surname.
From the historical record
“Califf, Calef, Kalef, Cham, Khan, Kan, Shah, Soldan, Sul- tan, Sultana, Vezir (Vizier), Shireef, Negus, Begam, Bigum, Becum (Begum?), Nysam (Nizam?), - Pacha, Pasha, Pashaw, Bashaw, Ehmir, Ameer, Effendi, Eflfendian, Aga, Valy (Wali ?), Dragoman-ovitch, Bey, Dey, Rais, Reis, Ras, Sheik, Shiek, Shaik, Mooley…”
— A Grammar of American Surnames