The Begum surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 12,255 people carried this name — #2,924 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 24,100 people counted. That is up 128% from 5,375 in 2000.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 115 people named Begum live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Brussels-Capital.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 59 people named Begum.
Most of them — 58 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 1 département, most often Aube.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
59 people named Begum live in Switzerland.
They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In the Nordic population registers
1,058 people named Begum are counted in Norway, Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Norway publishes only surnames with 200 or more bearers. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Statistics Norway (SSB, ssb.no), table 12891, 2025 — CC BY 4.0 · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Begum in American newspapers,
1906–1925.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 6,468 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Begum,
with a public archive behind them.
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Fatma Begum 1892–1983 · screenwriter -
Fatma Begum 1892–1983 · screenwriter
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Fatma Begum 1892–1983 · screenwriter
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Humaira Begum 1918–2002 · consort -
Nurjahan Begum 1925–2016 · journalist -
Jana Begum d. 1659 · author
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Begum.
When the index is not enough
This page says where Begum is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.