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Begay Family History

Begay Name Meaning

Native American (Navajo): from an American English spelling of the Navajo word biyeʼ (also bigheʼ) ‘his son’. In most cases this was originally part of longer personal names coming after the father's name. It was attributed to Navajos by whites who mistook it for a surname. Begay is the most common surname of Native American origin in general. Compare Bia

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Belay, Dugay, Rega, Segan, Legacy, Seay, Belak, Bergey, Bean, Benac

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Begay family from?

You can see how Begay families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Begay family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Begay families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 5 Begay families living in Manitoba. This was 100% of all the recorded Begay's in Canada. Manitoba had the highest population of Begay families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Begay surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Begay ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Weaver were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Begay. 52% of Begay men worked as a Farmer and 61% of Begay women worked as a Weaver. Some less common occupations for Americans named Begay were Stock Raiser and Blanket Weaver. .

View Census Data for Begay | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    52%
  • Laborer
    14%
  • Labor
    8%
  • Stock Raiser
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Weaver
    61%
  • Herderweaver
    7%
  • Rug Weaver
    6%
  • Blanket Weaver
    6%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Begay family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 18,000 census records available for the last name Begay. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Begay census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Begay

Passenger Lists

There are 74 immigration records available for the last name Begay. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Begay immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Begay. For the veterans among your Begay ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Begay military records

You've only scratched the surface of Begay family history

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What is the average Begay lifespan?

Between 1952 and 2004, in the United States, Begay life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Begay in 1952 was 24, and 63 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Begay

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