Family name origins & meanings
- South German : from an agent derivative of Middle High German bāgen ‘to quarrel’, ‘to pride oneself’, hence a nickname for a quarrelsome or boastful person. In some cases, it may be a derivative of Beyer, through the intermediate form Beiger, a regional name for someone from Bavaria (see Bayer).
- French : adoption of 1, or possibly in some cases a variant of Béguer, Béguier, an occupational name for a medieval official, a type of magistrate.