2000
#5,786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,473
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.03
Rare Last name
Bigham
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived by a bend or corner of a road or river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,088 Americans carry the last name Bigham. That puts it at #6,184 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,300 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bigham 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 Bigham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 56,300
Census rank
#6,184
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,309 bearers of the surname Bigham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6184th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bigham, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bigham
Among Census respondents with the surname Bigham, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bigham 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 Bigham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.7% · 4,287
- Black or African American12.4% · 657
- Two or more races3.5% · 187
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 136
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bigham
Bigham 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
#6,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,525
+52 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 407 places
2020
#6,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,309
-216 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Up 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,786 | 5,473 | 2.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,193 | 5,525 | 1.87 | +52 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 407 places |
| 2020 | #6,184 | 5,309 | 1.78 | -216 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 9 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 Bigham 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 | #6,193 | #6,184 | 0.1% |
| Count | 5,525 | 5,309 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.87 | 1.78 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bigham bearers went from 5,525 to 5,309 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,193 to #6,184.
FAQ
Bigham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bigham?
Name Census estimates that about 6,088 living Americans carry the surname Bigham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,300 residents.
How common is Bigham?
Bigham ranks #6,184 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,309 people with the surname Bigham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,088), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bigham.
Has Bigham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bigham went from 5,525 recorded bearers to 5,309. That is a decrease of 216 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,193 to #6,184.
What does the Census say about the background of Bigham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bigham, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Bigham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (4,287 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bigham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.7%), Black (12.4%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Bigham (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 Bigham mean?
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived by a bend or corner of a road or river. 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 Bigham (1.78 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 surname Bigham?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.