Begum (name)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Begum (name) — a short, easy guide

Begum, also written Begüm, is used as a female title, a given name, and a surname. It comes from Turkic languages. The word is formed by adding the suffix -um to beg, meaning “my lord” or “my lady,” so Begum can be understood as “my lady.” It is the female counterpart of bey and has been used in royal and noble contexts, especially in South and Central Asia.

Historic title
- Begum has long been a title for powerful or noble women, including those linked to the Mughal Empire and other Turkic-influenced royal lines.
- It has appeared in titles such as Begum of Bhopal and other Nawabi or royal roles.
- Notable historical bearers include Mughal princesses and empresses such as Gulbadan Begum, Jahanara Begum, Roshanara Begum, Nur-un-Nissa Begum, Salima Sultan Begum, and Nur-un-Nissa Begum (among others), as well as Begum Hazrat Mahal and Begum Samru.

Contemporary use
- In more recent times, Begum has also been used as a formal title or by women connected to royal or noble families, such as Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan and Mah Parwar Begum.

As a given name
- Begum is used as a first name for many notable women, including Begum Akhtar (singer), Begum Rokeya (feminist thinker), Begum Para (actress), Begum Tabassum Hasan (politician), Begum Khurshid Mirza (actress), and Sharmila Tagore (also known as Begum Ayesha Sultana).
- The Turkish form Begüm is common in Turkey, with examples like Begüm Birgören, Begüm Dalgalar, Begüm Doğan Faralyalı, Begüm Kütük, Begüm Pusat, and Begüm Yuva.

As a middle name
- Begum also appears as a middle name, for instance Ayşe Begüm Onbaşı (turkish gymnast), Rahil Begum Sherwani, and Yasemin Begüm Dalgalar.

As a last name
- Begum is used as a surname by many people, such as Ameena Begum, Fatima Begum, Fatima Sughra Begum, Firoza Begum, Mumtaz Begum Jehan Dehlavi, Shamima Begum, Rehana Begum, Ruqsana Begum, and Zubeida Begum, among others.

See also
- Related names and terms: Mirza, Baig, Khanum, Begzadi.

This version keeps the essential points about Begum—its meaning, historical role, and contemporary use—as a concise, easy-to-understand overview.