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

Bigham, 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 Bigham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bigham in America

Bigham is the 6193rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bigham surname appeared 5,525 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Bigham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bigham 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 Bigham

The surname Bigham has its origins in England and Scotland, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "biga" and "ham," meaning "a homestead or village."

In England, the name is thought to have originated from various place names such as Bingham in Nottinghamshire and Bingham's Melcombe in Dorset. The Domesday Book of 1086 contains records of landowners named Bingham in Nottinghamshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bigham can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists Scottish landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. Among them was Walter de Bingham, a landowner from Berwickshire.

In Scotland, the name Bigham is closely associated with the town of Biggar in South Lanarkshire. It is believed that the name originated from this town, which was formerly known as "Bighame" or "Bigham." The earliest recorded mention of the place name Biggar dates back to the 12th century.

Notable individuals with the surname Bigham include Sir Ralph Bigham (1514-1592), an English soldier and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Bigham (1572-1635), an English courtier and diplomat who served as the Ambassador to the Habsburg Empire.

In the 17th century, the Bigham family established themselves as influential landowners in County Cavan, Ireland. One of the most prominent members of this branch was Sir John Bigham (1629-1684), who served as the Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.

In the literary world, William Bigham (1773-1844) was a renowned Irish poet and playwright. He is best known for his satirical play "The Barons of the Frontier," which criticized the Anglo-Irish aristocracy.

Another notable figure was Robert Bigham (1838-1916), an Irish-born Australian politician who served as the Premier of Tasmania from 1900 to 1903.

The surname Bigham has also been associated with various places and landmarks, such as Bigham Hill in Cumbria, England, and Bigham Reservoir in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bigham

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

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 Bigham 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 Bigham 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 Bigham was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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