Find out how popular the last name Bigby is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bigby.

Bigby, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bigby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bigby in America

Bigby is the 21483rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bigby surname appeared 1,216 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bigby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bigby to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bigby

The surname Bigby is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name referring to a specific town or village. Some historians suggest it may be a variation of the place name "Bigby," which is found in locations such as Bigby in Lincolnshire.

The name Bigby is thought to have its roots in Old English or Old Norse words related to "big" or "large," possibly referring to a large settlement or a prominent dwelling. The "-by" suffix is a common element in place names across England, derived from the Old Norse word "by," meaning a farm, village, or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bigby can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the late 12th century, where a person named Willelmus de Bigeby is mentioned. This suggests that the surname was already established by that time and was likely derived from the place name Bigby in Lincolnshire.

In the 13th century, a man named Robert de Bigby is mentioned in records from Yorkshire, indicating the spread of the surname throughout various regions of England. Another notable early record is found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279, which lists a William de Bygeby.

Over the centuries, variations in spelling emerged, including Bigheby, Biggesby, and Bigsby. One prominent figure bearing the name was John Bigsby (1792-1881), an English geologist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of North American geology and natural history.

Other notable individuals with the surname Bigby include Sir John Bigsby (1780-1867), an English civil engineer and surveyor who worked on various projects in Canada, and Robert Bigsby (1806-1891), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London.

It is worth mentioning that the surname Bigby has also been associated with fictional characters, such as Bigby Wolf from the comic book series "Fables" by Bill Willingham. However, the historical origins and background of the surname remain rooted in the medieval English locational names and settlements.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bigby

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bigby.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bigby was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bigby has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bigby was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bigby, please contact us.

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