Explore the Family Name Began
The meaning of Began
1. Irish: from Ó Beagáin ‘descendant of Beagán’, a personal name from a diminutive of beag ‘small’. The name has been Anglicized as Little, Lyttle, and Littleton. 2. Slovak (mainly Begáň, also Begán): dialect variant of Behan, a cognate of 3 below. 3. Slovenian: nickname derived from beg ‘escape, getaway’ or from begati ‘to run about’. This surname is very rare in Slovenia. 4. Croatian: from the old personal name Began, derived from begati ‘to flee, to run away’. Alternatively, a surname originating from the times of the Turkish occupation of the Balkans, ultimately derived from the Turkish title of respect beg (see Beg). This surname is very rare in Croatia; in North America it may hence also be a shortened form of the Croatian and Serbian patronymic Beganović (see Beganovic).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Began in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Began has slightly declined between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname ranked 54,385 in popularity, but by 2010, it dropped to 57,914, a change of -6.49%. The count of individuals with this surname also displayed a minor decrease from 355 people in 2000 to 351 people in 2010, indicating a -1.13% change. The proportion per 100k people also showed a decline from 0.13 in 2000 to 0.12 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #54,385 | #57,914 | -6.49% |
| Count | 355 | 351 | -1.13% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.13 | 0.12 | -7.69% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Began
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Began, according to the Decennial U.S. Census, underwent some changes from 2000 to 2010. There was an increase in the percentage of people with Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity, from 3.66% in 2000 to 4.27% in 2010. Conversely, there was a complete drop in the percentage of Hispanic and American Indian and Alaskan Native individuals with this surname from 1.97% and 3.94% respectively in 2000 to no recorded individuals in 2010. There were no changes in the Black ethnicity group, with no recorded individuals for both years. However, the White ethnicity group saw an increase from 88.45% in 2000 to 92.88% in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 88.45% | 92.88% | 5.01% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 3.66% | 4.27% | 16.67% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 1.97% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 3.94% | 0% | 0% |