This interesting surname with variant spellings Beglan, Beglin, Baglan, Baglin, Bagline, Bagling, Baglon, etc., is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic "O Beigleighinn", the prefix "O" meaning "descendant of" plus "beag", "little" plus "Leighinn", "Scholarship". It is a rare name found mainly in County Westmeath and County Longford. The surname dates back to the early 16th Century, (see below). The London church records include one Anne, daughter of Samuel and Anne Baglin, who was christened on October 27th 1684, and their son William was christened on May 3rd 1691, both at St. Dunstan, Stepney. Richard Bagland married Mary Stevens on March 1694, at St. James Dukes Place, London. William, son of John and Hannah Bagling, was christened at St. Dunstan, Stepney, on March 16th 1712. One, Thomas Baglen is recorded as living in Virgina in 1624, and Bridget Baglan, a famine emigrant, sailed from Liverpool aboard the Oxford on January 16th 1846. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Maurice O Beglin, which was dated 1529, Annals of Loch Ce, during the reign of King Henry V111, "Good King Hal", 1509 - 1547. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.