Baig

Baig, also commonly spelled Beg, or Begh (Persian: بیگ, Bay, Turkish: Bey) was a title of Turko-Mongol origin, which is today used as a surname or middle name to identify lineage. It means Chief or Commander and is common in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Iran, Caucasus, Central Asia and Eastern Europe (former Yugoslav) and among their respective diaspora.

Etymology

The name Baig is derived from the Turkic-Persian word Beg or Bey, which means commander or chief (i.e. military leader.)

Beg was also subsequently used as a military rank in the Ottoman Empire.

It was also used during the Qing dynasty in China. When the Qing dynasty ruled Xinjiang, it permitted the Turkic Begs in the Altishahr region to maintain their previous status, and they administered the area for the Qing as officials. High-ranking Begs were allowed to wear the Queue.

Use as a name

For the Persian use, it is common to see the name Beg added to the Persian suffix of 'zada' (male), 'zadi' (female), which means 'son of' or 'daughter of'. For Example: Mansur Begzada or Noor Begzadi. For the Turkish use, it is most common to see the spelling Beg or Bey utilized. (Sometimes, it is used along with the title "Mirza", similar to the Moghal usage).

For the Moghal use, the honorific title Mirza (Persian: مرزا‎‎) was added before the given name for all the males and 'Baig' (Persian: بیگ‎‎) for the males or Begum (Persian: بگوم‎‎) for the females, was added as a family name. For example: Mirza Abdullah Baig or Farzana Begum. This was the historical naming convention for the descendants of the Moghal dynasty. Today, however, it is not uncommon to see descendants of the Moghals use Baig as a middle name and Mirza as the surname or vice versa. For example: Abdullah Baig Mirza or Abdullah Mirza Baig.

For the Slavic or Bosniak use, it is common to see the name Beg added to the Slavic suffix of 'ovic', 'ovich', which roughly means 'descendant of'. While the title "Beg" is not in use in Bosnia anymore, track of families of "Beg" descent is kept. But a surname containing "-begović" suffix in itself is not a clear indicator of descent. For example, there is a number of "Begović" families, some are of noble descent, some not. "Idrizbegović" would be another example of non-noble family with the suffix. Some examples of "beg" families are: Šahbegović, Rizvanbegović, Šačirbegović. On the other hand, "Kukavica" is an example of a famous "beg" family, not containing the title in itself. The book by Enver Imamović "Porijeklo i pripadnost stanovništva Bosne i Hercegovine" details the origin of a big number of families in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

There are various other alternative spellings used today as well, such as: Begg, Beigh, Beyg, Bayg, Bek, Bik.

Notable Begs/Baigs

Afghanistan

• Sultan Abu Sa'id Beg

Albania

• Skanderbeg, Dominus Albaniae (lord of Albania)

Azerbaijan

• Jani Beg
• Mirza Adigozal bey, was an Azerbaijani historian of the 19th century.
• Mirza Miran Shah Beg, was a son of Mirza Timur Beg, and a Timurid governor during his father's lifetime.
• Elbey Mirza-Hasan oglu Rzaguliyev, was an Azerbaijani Soviet artist and stage director, and father of artist Ayten Rzaguliyeva.

Bosnia

• Isa-Beg Isaković
• Isak-Beg
• Gazi Husrev-beg
• Ali-paša Rizvanbegović
• Safvet beg Bašagić
• Turahan Bey
• Turahanoğlu Ömer Bey

England

• Moazzam Begg

India

• Abbas Ali Baig, Indian Cricketer
• Mahmud Begada, Sultan of Gujarat
• Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan
• Mirza Babur Beg, the first Mughal emperor
• Mirza Abul-Qasim Babur bin Baysonqor Beg, was a Timurid ruler in Khurasan (1449–1457).
• Mirza Mehboob Beg, is an Indian politician, belonging to Jammu & Kashmir National Conference.
• Mirza Farhatullah Baig, was an Indian Urdu writer of humor and prose.
• Mirza Muhammed Baig Chishti Qalandari Hyderabadi, He is renowned as a Sufi saint and great scholar of Hyderabad Deccan.
• Mirza Ibrahim Beg, was Subahdar of Bengal during the reign of emperor Jahangir Beg.
• Wali Beg Zul-Qadr, Soldier under Akbar Mirza Mughal Emperor.

Iran

• Ulugh Beg
• Sultan Ibrahim Beg

Kashgar

• Yaqub Beg

Kashmir

• Mirza Mehdi Beig, first noted Kashmiri nauha writer and chanter from Sonwar, Srinagar.
• Burhan Baig, Industrialist, Chairman B Group of Companies
• Mirza Mohammad Afzal Beig
• Mirza Musharraf Baig, Shahenshah of the Mughal Dynasty and representative of Kashmir in India, Pakistan and China

Pakistan

• Mirza Aslam Baig
• Mirza Aziz Akbar Baig
• General Mohammad Abbas Baig
• Obaidullah Baig was an eminent scholar, Urdu writer/novelist, columnist, media expert, and most notably a documentary filmmaker from Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
• Mirza Iqbal Baig is a Pakistani sports journalist and cricket commentator who currently works as a television show host.
• Mirza Mohammad Afzal Beg was a Kashmiri politician and lieutenant of the late Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Naeem Baig is an eminent Pakistani Novelist and short story writer, who has conceived articles, short stories and Novels in Urdu and English languages.
• Mirza Nazeer Baig Mughal is a Pakistani actor. He has acted in several films, tele-films, and TV drama serials.
• Mirza Rafiuddin 'Raz' Baig is a Pakistani poet.
• Mirza Muhammad Naeem Baig, Vice President, National Bank of Pakistan Regional Office Multan

Poland

• Naiman-Beg

Russia

• Mirza Kazem-Bey, Muhammad Ali Kazim-bey, was a famous orientalist, historian and philologist of Azeri and Iranian origin.
• Alexander Lvovich Kazembek (often spelled Kazem-Bek or Kasem-Beg), was a Russian émigré and political activist, and founder of the Mladorossi political group.
• Iskander Mirza Huzman Beg Sulkiewicz, was a Polish politician of Tatar ethnicity, activist in socialist and independence movements and one of the co-founders of Polish Socialist Party.

Sri Lanka

• Mohideen Baig, was a popular Sri Lankan musician.

Turkey

• Sultan Osman-beg, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
• Mirza Tugay Bey, was a notable military leader and politician of the Crimean Tatars.

United States

• Ed Baig, is an American technology columnist.

See also

• Mirza
• Bey
• Begum
• Beylerbey
• Begzada
• Atabeg
• Dey
• Khagan Bek
• Skanderbeg
• Naiman-Beg
• Marzban
• Ban
• Bai Baianai
• Anatolian beyliks
• Ottoman titles

References

•  This article incorporates text from Life among the Chinese: with characteristic sketches and incidents of missionary operations and prospects in China, by Robert Samuel Maclay, a publication from 1861 now in the public domain in the United States.