regarding origin, I found this:
http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptgods4.html
"He was not a god of Egyptian origin. Bes was described as 'Coming from the Divine Land' and 'Lord of Punt' (perhaps an area in present day Somalia - see Hatshepsut's Expedition to Punt). He was thus linked to the goddess Hathor who was known as the 'Lady of Punt' and also a goddess of music. During this period, he was given a wife, known as Beset - a female version of the dwarf god, presiding over protection, pleasure and childbirth. The two did not appear together before the Ptolemaic era."
regarding his popularity, I found this:
"Bes had no temples and no priesthood other than his oracle, but statues or depictions of the god was found in most homes throughout the land of Egypt. Although not originally one of the more famous of the gods, Bes came to be loved by the people of Egypt. It was the dwarf god-demon Bes that they came to call on for protection in their daily lives."
Sounds analogous to the modern-day "spiritual but not religious" choice made by many.
Are you aware of Glyphdoctors? its an online site devoted to studying the Egyptian heiroglyphs/language. The creator of the site is planning to start online courses studying the language...am hoping she starts doing it soon...have become very fascinated with the "in situ" language of the ancient Egyptians (as opposed to the Greek translations).