2000
#3,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,292
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.07
Rare Last name
Begley
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Béaglaoich," meaning "descendant of Béaglach," a personal name meaning "lively little one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,279 Americans carry the last name Begley. That puts it at #4,233 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,939 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Begley 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Begley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.3K
1 in 36,939
Census rank
#4,233
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,092 bearers of the surname Begley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4233rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Begley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Begley
The surname Begley is of Irish origin, emerging from the Gaelic Ó Beaglaigh, meaning "descendant of Beaglach." The name Beaglach is derived from the Irish word "beag," meaning small or little, and the diminutive suffix "-lach." The name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name referring to a small or diminutive person.
The Begley surname is most commonly found in counties Limerick and Tipperary, Ireland, indicating its roots may lie in the region of Munster. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 16th century, with records of Begley families in the parish of Knockgrany, County Limerick.
One of the earliest known individuals with the Begley surname was John Begley, a landowner in County Tipperary, whose name appears in the Fiants of the Tudor sovereign, Elizabeth I, in the late 16th century. The Fiants were records of royal grants and pardons issued by the English Crown in Ireland during this period.
In the 17th century, the Begley surname is documented in the Petty's Census of Ireland, a survey of landowners conducted in 1659 by Sir William Petty. This census recorded several Begley families residing in County Limerick at the time.
Notable individuals with the Begley surname include:
1. John Begley (1826-1899), an Irish-born prelate who served as the Bishop of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
2. Rev. Walter Begley (1836-1908), an Irish Catholic priest and educator who founded several schools in County Limerick.
3. Edward Begley (1923-2012), an American actor known for his roles in films like "12 Angry Men" and "Tora! Tora! Tora!"
4. Ed Begley Jr. (born 1949), an American actor and environmentalist, son of Edward Begley.
5. Aoife Begley (born 1986), an Irish singer-songwriter and musician.
While the Begley name has spread to various parts of the world due to Irish migration, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Gaelic language and the region of Munster in Ireland, where it first emerged as a descriptive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Begley
Among Census respondents with the surname Begley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Begley 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 Begley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 7,442
- Two or more races3.6% · 291
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 194
- Black or African American1.2% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Begley
Begley 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
#4,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,435
+143 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 2.86
Rank movement Down 265 places
2020
#4,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,092
-343 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 2.71
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,935 | 8,292 | 3.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,200 | 8,435 | 2.86 | +143 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 265 places |
| 2020 | #4,233 | 8,092 | 2.71 | -343 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 33 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 Begley 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 | #4,200 | #4,233 | -0.8% |
| Count | 8,435 | 8,092 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.86 | 2.71 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Begley bearers went from 8,435 to 8,092 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,200 to #4,233.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Begley
FAQ
Begley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Begley?
Name Census estimates that about 9,279 living Americans carry the surname Begley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,939 residents.
How common is Begley?
Begley ranks #4,233 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,092 people with the surname Begley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,279), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Begley.
Has Begley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Begley went from 8,435 recorded bearers to 8,092. That is a decrease of 343 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,200 to #4,233.
What does the Census say about the background of Begley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Begley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Begley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (7,442 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Begley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Begley (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 Begley mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Béaglaoich," meaning "descendant of Béaglach," a personal name meaning "lively little one." 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 Begley (2.71 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 have the surname Begley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.