2000
#2,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,354
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.21
Uncommon Last name
Bigelow
An English habitational surname derived from any of several places named Bigelow, meaning "big hollow" or "spacious low-lying area."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,939 Americans carry the last name Bigelow. That puts it at #3,110 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,490 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bigelow surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,490
Census rank
#3,110
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,283 bearers of the surname Bigelow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3110th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bigelow, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bigelow
The surname Bigelow is of English origin and dates back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "bigel" meaning "building" and "hlaw" meaning "hill" or "mound." Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent building on a hill or a large man-made mound.
The name was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. It appeared as "Bigelowe," referring to a location in Nottinghamshire. Over time, various spellings emerged, such as Bigelow, Biglow, and Biggelow.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Bigelow, who was born in Wrentham, Suffolk, England, around 1320. Records show that he was a landowner and a prominent member of the local community.
In the 16th century, the Bigelow family established themselves in the village of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, which was once known as "Bigeloweswathe." This place name likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname.
Notable individuals with the Bigelow surname include:
1. John Bigelow (1817-1911), an American lawyer, diplomat, and writer. He served as the American consul in Paris during the American Civil War and later became the Secretary of State of New York.
2. Erastus Bigelow (1814-1879), an American industrialist and inventor. He is credited with developing the first power loom for weaving Brussels carpets, revolutionizing the carpet industry.
3. Poultney Bigelow (1855-1954), an American journalist and writer. He is best known for his work as a war correspondent during the Spanish-American War and the Boxer Rebellion in China.
4. Jacob Bigelow (1787-1879), an American physician and botanist. He was a professor at Harvard University and authored several influential works on medical botany and materia medica.
5. Melville Madison Bigelow (1846-1921), a Canadian-American engineer and inventor. He is credited with developing the Bigelow boiler, which was widely used in steam engines during the late 19th century.
The Bigelow surname has a rich history and has been borne by many notable individuals throughout the centuries, particularly in England and later in the United States and Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bigelow
Among Census respondents with the surname Bigelow, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bigelow bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bigelow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 9,515
- Black or African American7.2% · 807
- Two or more races4.2% · 478
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 330
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bigelow
Bigelow appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,650
+296 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 3.95
Rank movement Down 176 places
2020
#3,110
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,283
-367 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 3.77
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,910 | 11,354 | 4.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,086 | 11,650 | 3.95 | +296 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 176 places |
| 2020 | #3,110 | 11,283 | 3.77 | -367 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 24 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bigelow surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,086 | #3,110 | -0.8% |
| Count | 11,650 | 11,283 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.95 | 3.77 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bigelow bearers went from 11,650 to 11,283 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,086 to #3,110.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bigelow
FAQ
Bigelow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bigelow?
Name Census estimates that about 12,939 living Americans carry the surname Bigelow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,490 residents.
How common is Bigelow?
Bigelow ranks #3,110 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,283 people with the surname Bigelow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,939), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Bigelow.
Has Bigelow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bigelow went from 11,650 recorded bearers to 11,283. That is a decrease of 367 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,086 to #3,110.
What does the Census say about the background of Bigelow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bigelow, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bigelow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (9,515 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bigelow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Black (7.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bigelow (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bigelow mean?
An English habitational surname derived from any of several places named Bigelow, meaning "big hollow" or "spacious low-lying area." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bigelow (3.77 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Bigelow?
If you just want to know how many people are called Bigelow, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.