Beggs (Irish: Ó Beig[1]) is a Gaelic surname, which originated in Scotland. It is derived from the Gaelic word beag, which means little, although some instances of the name derive from the English name 'Bigg'.[2] As a result of migration Beggs live in Ireland, Scotland, England, United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It was first found in Inverness-shire, where they held a family seat from ancient times. Spelling variants include Begg, Begge or Beg[3][4] The name is rare and its bearers primarily reside in Northern Ireland.[5]

In 1890 an estimated 1340 bore the name, primarily in County Antrim and County Dublin.[6] In the 1980s half of its bearers in Ireland were located in County Antrim and in the mid-1800s it was almost exclusively contained to the barony of Antrim Upper.[7]

People

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Beggs (surname).

References

  1. ↑ "beggs". sloinne.ie.
  2. ↑ O'Laughlin, Michael C. (1999). The Families of County Dublin, Ireland Over Four Thousand Entries from the Archives of the Irish Genealogical Foundation. p. 63.
  3. ↑ Last name: Beggs The Internet Surname Database
  4. ↑ Beggs Surname, Family Crest and Coat of Arms HouseOfNames.com
  5. ↑ Neafsey, Edward (2002). The Surnames of Ireland Origins and Numbers of Selected Irish Surnames. Irish Genealogical Foundation. p. 8.
  6. ↑ Quinn, Sean E. (2000). Surnames in Ireland. Irish Genealogy Press. p. 42.
  7. ↑ Bell, Robert (1988). The Book of Ulster Surnames. Blackstaff Press. p. 15.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.