Begbie

The family name Begbie (orig. Baikbie, 1566. Baigbie, 1594) originates in south-east Scotland, where it is most common in the Edinburgh and East Lothian areas.

Begbie is derived from the Old Norse personal name and byname Baggi + Old Norse býr; 'settlement' or 'farm'. Whilst also appearing in Old Danish, Baggi was used to describe a 'bag', 'pack', 'bundle' or 'ram' (male sheep) in Old Norse. During the Middle Ages, Baggi was also used as a byname for a 'Norwegian, man from Norway.' The earliest documented usage is recorded in Norway during the 14th century (in Bohuslän, now Sweden).

In its contemporary form, Bagge appears both as a given and family name in Denmark and the southern regions of Sweden and Norway. (Derivative forms of the name can also be found in Scandinavia. For example, the Danish patronymic form Baggesen, and equivalent Norwegian form Baggesson, meaning "Son of Bagge"). 'Bagge Baggesen', a 51 year old male, is noted in the Danish national census of 1850 as residing in Ålborg.

Vintage cast iron road sign on B6368, south of Haddington (image captured in 2016)

The place name refers to the small hamlet of Begbie, [55° 55'42.00"N 2°48'55.00"W], 0.5-mile (0.80 km) east of Samuelston, near the market town of Haddington, East Lothian. (The same place name elements can be found in Baggeby, Stockholm county, Sweden, and also Bagby, North Yorkshire, England). The lands of Begbie (orig. Bagby) were gifted to the nunnery at Haddington by its founder, Queen Ada, wife of Henry, King of Scots, and mother to Malcolm IV and William I, upon her death in 1178. Begbie is one of a number of settlements in East Lothian whose place name elements are Scandinavian in origin. Others include Humbie and Blegbie.

Notable people and characters with the surname include:

• Alfred William Begbie, British civil servant in India
• Denis Begbie (1914–2009), South African cricketer
• Harold Begbie (1871–1929), English author and journalist
• Isaac Begbie (born 1868), Scottish footballer
• James Begbie (1798–1869), British medical doctor
• James Warburton Begbie (1826–1876), British medical doctor
• Jeremy Begbie, Thomas A. Langford Research Professor at Duke Divinity School, Duke University
• Herbert Gordon Smirnoff Begbie (born 1905), former bishop of Parramatta
• Matthew Baillie Begbie (1819–1894), British-born judge who served in British Columbia
• Jack Mouland Begbie (Violinist), founding member and Leader of the BBC Scottish Orchestra
• Francis Begbie, the main antagonist in Trainspotting, its prequel Skagboys and sequels Porno and The Blade Artist, as well as the 1996 film adaptation of Trainspotting and its 2017 sequel

See also

• Sir Matthew Begbie Elementary School, public elementary school in Vancouver, British Columbia
• Mount Begbie, a named peak near Revelstoke, British Columbia