How common is the surname Begum?

12,255 people in the United States had the surname Begum in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 25,193 Americans. It ranked 2,924th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Begum?

Hasna Begum, Bangladeshi philosopher and feminist (1935-2020), followed by Shamima Begum.

Where is the surname Begum most common?

Wikidata records people named Begum in Pakistan, the United Kingdom and Bangladesh.

Is the surname Begum getting more or less common?

More common. 5,375 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 12,255 in 2010, up 128%.

The surname Begum

A surname, carried by 12,255 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex B250

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Begum is more common than 98.2% of them.

Origin

Ultimately from Classical Persian بیگم (bēgum).

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 12,255 people named Begum in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 25,193 Americans. That is up 128% since 2000, when the Census counted 5,375.

#2,924

rank among US surnames

12,255

people in 2010

4.2

per 100,000 Americans

+128%

change since 2000 (was #5,897)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,915	Altamirano	12,296	25,109
#2,916	Swann	12,293	25,116
#2,917	Alicea	12,287	25,128
#2,918	Broughton	12,273	25,156
#2,919	Oglesby	12,271	25,161
#2,920	Cáceres	12,269	25,165
#2,921	Braxton	12,268	25,167

Who is named Begum

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

97% of people named Begum identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 1.9% as two or more races.

Asian and Pacific Islander 97%
Two or more races 1.9%
White (not Hispanic) 0.8%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 0.3%
Black (not Hispanic) 0.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.1%

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Begums

4 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Hasna Begum
Bangladeshi philosopher and feminist (1935-2020)
Shamima Begum
British born teenager who left the UK to join ISIL and later attempted to come back, born 1999
Jana Begum
17th century Mughal Indian noblewoman and scholar, died 1659
Anwara Begum
Bangladeshi flim actress, born 1948

Notable Begums come mostly from Pakistan (1), the United Kingdom (1) and Bangladesh (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Begun

Surnames that sound like Begum

Begum has the Soundex code B250, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code B250.

Questions

Where does the surname Begum come from?: Ultimately from Classical Persian بیگم (bēgum).
How common is the surname Begum?: 12,255 people in the United States had the surname Begum in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 25,193 Americans. It ranked 2,924th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Begum?: In the 2010 Census, 97% of people named Begum identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 1.9% as two or more races.
Who is the most famous person named Begum?: Hasna Begum, Bangladeshi philosopher and feminist (1935-2020), followed by Shamima Begum.
Where is the surname Begum most common?: Wikidata records people named Begum in Pakistan, the United Kingdom and Bangladesh.
Is the surname Begum getting more or less common?: More common. 5,375 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 12,255 in 2010, up 128%.
What are other spellings of Begum?: Begun.