Begley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  Ireland 


All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name Begley originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Beaglaoich where beag means little, and laoch means hero. 1 First Anglicized as O'Begley, it now appears mostly as Begley, and occasionally Bagley.

Early Origins of the Begley family

The surname Begley was first found in the counties of Cork and Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where they held considerable territories as an important Irish sept directly descended from the line of the Heber Irish Kings. 2

Early History of the Begley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Begley research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1732 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Begley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Begley Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The many regional dialects and the predominate illiteracy would have made common surnames appear unrelated to the scribes of the period. Research into the name Begley revealed spelling variations, including Begley, Beegley, Beeghley, Begly, Begeley, Begely, Beagley and many more.

Early Notables of the Begley family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

Begley Ranking

In the United States, the name Begley is the 2,897th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 3


Begley migration to the United States +

Irish families began to immigrate to British North America and the United States in the 18th century, but the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. The earlier settlers came to North America after a great deal of consideration and by paying relatively high fees for their passage. These settlers were primarily drawn by the promise of land. Those later settlers that came during the 1840's were trying to escape the conditions of poverty, starvation, disease, and death that had stricken Ireland. Due to the enormity of their numbers and the late date of their arrival, these immigrants primarily became hired laborers instead of homesteading settlers like their predecessors. An exhaustive search of immigration and passenger lists has revealed many Irish immigrants North America bearing the name Begley:

Begley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Begley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Begley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Begley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Begley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Begley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Begley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Begley (post 1700) +
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