2000
#9,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Biggerstaff
An occupational surname referring to a person who carried a large wooden staff or walking stick.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,322 Americans carry the last name Biggerstaff. That puts it at #10,566 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,177 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Biggerstaff 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Biggerstaff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,177
Census rank
#10,566
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,897 bearers of the surname Biggerstaff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10566th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Biggerstaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Biggerstaff
The surname Biggerstaff is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire, where it was likely a locational name derived from a place or topographic feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where it appears as "Biggerstaf." This spelling suggests that the name may have been derived from the Old English words "bycgere" meaning "buyer" or "merchant," and "stæf" meaning "staff" or "walking stick." It could have referred to a merchant or trader who carried a distinctive staff or walking stick.
The name Biggerstaff also has connections to various place names in the region, such as Biggerstaffe Clough near Colne in Lancashire and Biggerstaff Farm near Burnley, both of which likely derived their names from the surname itself.
In the 13th century, records show a Robert de Bigerstaff residing in Yorkshire, indicating the surname's early establishment in the area. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332 mention a William del Biggerstafe, showcasing the surname's evolution over time.
Notable individuals bearing the Biggerstaff surname include:
1. Thomas Biggerstaff (c. 1561-1636), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Rector of Wolverhampton from 1596 until his death.
2. John Biggerstaff (c. 1623-1699), an English settler in North America, who was among the early Quaker colonists in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
3. Elizabeth Biggerstaff (c. 1670-1732), an English Quaker minister and writer, known for her religious works and her advocacy for women's rights within the Quaker community.
4. William Biggerstaff (1833-1905), an English-born Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
5. Robert Biggerstaff (1868-1942), an American businessman and philanthropist, who co-founded the Biggerstaff-Crawford Manufacturing Company and was actively involved in various charitable organizations in his community.
These historical examples illustrate the longevity and widespread dissemination of the Biggerstaff surname, which has its origins firmly rooted in the northern regions of medieval England, where it emerged as a locational name or occupational descriptor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Biggerstaff
Among Census respondents with the surname Biggerstaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Biggerstaff 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 Biggerstaff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 2,623
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 109
- Two or more races3.1% · 89
- Black or African American1.3% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Biggerstaff
Biggerstaff 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
#10,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,035
-97 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 1,040 places
2020
#10,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,897
-138 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,520 | 3,132 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,560 | 3,035 | 1.03 | -97 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 1,040 places |
| 2020 | #10,566 | 2,897 | 0.97 | -138 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 6 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 Biggerstaff 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 | #10,560 | #10,566 | -0.1% |
| Count | 3,035 | 2,897 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.97 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Biggerstaff bearers went from 3,035 to 2,897 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,560 to #10,566.
FAQ
Biggerstaff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Biggerstaff?
Name Census estimates that about 3,322 living Americans carry the surname Biggerstaff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,177 residents.
How common is Biggerstaff?
Biggerstaff ranks #10,566 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,897 people with the surname Biggerstaff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,322), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Biggerstaff.
Has Biggerstaff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Biggerstaff went from 3,035 recorded bearers to 2,897. That is a decrease of 138 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,560 to #10,566.
What does the Census say about the background of Biggerstaff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Biggerstaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Biggerstaff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (2,623 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Biggerstaff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Biggerstaff (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 Biggerstaff mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who carried a large wooden staff or walking stick. 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 Biggerstaff (0.97 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 share the surname Biggerstaff?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.