2000
#6,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,609
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Biggers
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made or used an auger, a tool for boring holes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,019 Americans carry the last name Biggers. That puts it at #7,338 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,291 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Biggers 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
5.0K
1 in 68,291
Census rank
#7,338
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,377 bearers of the surname Biggers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7338th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Biggers, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Biggers
The surname Biggers has its origins in the northern English county of Yorkshire, dating back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "big" and "ers," which together mean "dweller at the big house." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived in a particularly large or prominent dwelling.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1195, where a William Biggers is mentioned as a landowner. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, further indicating its long-standing presence in the region.
Some historians believe that the name may have originated as a descriptive nickname for someone of large stature or physical size, as the word "big" can also refer to physical characteristics. However, the more widely accepted theory is that it was initially a locational surname, referring to the place of residence.
In the 14th century, a variant spelling of the name, "Byggers," can be found in the records of the village of Ripley in Yorkshire. This lends credence to the theory of the name's locational origins, as it may have been associated with a specific place or landmark.
One notable figure who bore the Biggers surname was Sir Ralph Biggers, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in Yorkshire during the 15th century. He is mentioned in several historical documents from the reign of King Henry VI, including land grants and military records.
Another individual of note was John Biggers, a scholar and clergyman who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was educated at Cambridge University and served as the rector of the parish of Brinworth in Derbyshire.
In the 18th century, the Biggers name can be found in the records of the town of Halifax, Yorkshire, where a family of that name owned a successful wool-trading business. One member of this family, James Biggers (1732-1802), served as the mayor of Halifax in 1786.
The 19th century saw the Biggers name spread beyond Yorkshire, with individuals bearing the surname appearing in various parts of England and even venturing to other parts of the British Empire. One notable example is William Biggers (1818-1892), a British explorer and surveyor who mapped parts of Australia and New Zealand.
Finally, in the early 20th century, the artist and educator John Biggers (1924-2001) achieved renown for his vibrant paintings and murals depicting African American life and culture. Born in North Carolina, he spent much of his career teaching at several prestigious universities, including Hampton University and Texas Southern University.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Biggers
Among Census respondents with the surname Biggers, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Biggers 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 Biggers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.7% · 2,921
- Black or African American24.3% · 1,062
- Two or more races4.8% · 209
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 142
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Biggers
Biggers 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
#6,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,792
+183 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 253 places
2020
#7,338
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,377
-415 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 345 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,740 | 4,609 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,993 | 4,792 | 1.62 | +183 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 253 places |
| 2020 | #7,338 | 4,377 | 1.46 | -415 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 345 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 Biggers 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 | #6,993 | #7,338 | -4.9% |
| Count | 4,792 | 4,377 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.62 | 1.46 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Biggers bearers went from 4,792 to 4,377 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 345 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,993 to #7,338.
FAQ
Biggers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Biggers?
Name Census estimates that about 5,019 living Americans carry the surname Biggers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,291 residents.
How common is Biggers?
Biggers ranks #7,338 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,377 people with the surname Biggers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,019), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Biggers.
Has Biggers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Biggers went from 4,792 recorded bearers to 4,377. That is a decrease of 415 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,993 to #7,338.
What does the Census say about the background of Biggers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Biggers, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Biggers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.7% (2,921 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Biggers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.7%), Black (24.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Biggers (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 Biggers mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made or used an auger, a tool for boring holes. 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 Biggers (1.46 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 common is the surname Biggers?
See how many Americans have the surname Biggers on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.