2000
#8,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,793
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Bigler
A German occupational surname for a maker or seller of bugles, a type of musical horn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,297 Americans carry the last name Bigler. That puts it at #8,458 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,766 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bigler 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
4.3K
1 in 79,766
Census rank
#8,458
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,747 bearers of the surname Bigler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8458th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bigler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bigler
The surname BIGLER has its origins in Switzerland, where it first emerged in the 14th century. The name is believed to derive from the Swiss German word "bigler," which referred to a maker or seller of small round objects, such as beads or buttons. This occupational surname was likely first adopted by an individual or family involved in this trade.
The earliest recorded instances of the BIGLER surname date back to the late 14th century in Swiss records and documents. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Bigler, a merchant from Zürich, who was mentioned in a 1387 tax register.
Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, the BIGLER name continued to appear in various Swiss records, including birth, marriage, and death registers, as well as property deeds and legal documents. Variations in spelling included Bigler, Biegler, and Bügeler.
In the 17th century, the BIGLER surname began to spread beyond Switzerland as members of the family migrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One notable early bearer of the name was Hans Bigler (1600-1672), a Swiss Protestant who emigrated to Alsace, France, in the 1620s to escape religious persecution.
Another prominent BIGLER was Johann Jakob Bigler (1705-1781), a Swiss-German painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits. He was born in Zürich and spent much of his career in Germany.
As the BIGLER surname spread across Europe and the Americas, it continued to be associated with various trades and professions, such as tailors, merchants, and craftsmen. In the 19th century, several BIGLERs achieved notable success in fields such as politics and business.
For example, William Bigler (1814-1880) was an American politician and lawyer who served as Governor of Pennsylvania from 1852 to 1855. Another notable figure was John Bigler (1805-1871), a California politician and lawyer who served as the third Governor of California from 1852 to 1856.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the BIGLER name also gained prominence in the fields of education and literature. One example is Henry W. Bigler (1852-1923), an American educator and author who served as the president of the University of Wyoming from 1891 to 1905.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bigler
Among Census respondents with the surname Bigler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bigler 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 Bigler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 3,507
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 95
- Two or more races2.4% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 17
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bigler
Bigler 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
#8,254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,013
+220 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 196 places
2020
#8,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,747
-266 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 204 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,058 | 3,793 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,254 | 4,013 | 1.36 | +220 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 196 places |
| 2020 | #8,458 | 3,747 | 1.25 | -266 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 204 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 Bigler 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 | #8,254 | #8,458 | -2.5% |
| Count | 4,013 | 3,747 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.25 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bigler bearers went from 4,013 to 3,747 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 204 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,254 to #8,458.
FAQ
Bigler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bigler?
Name Census estimates that about 4,297 living Americans carry the surname Bigler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,766 residents.
How common is Bigler?
Bigler ranks #8,458 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 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 3,747 people with the surname Bigler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,297), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 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 Bigler.
Has Bigler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bigler went from 4,013 recorded bearers to 3,747. That is a decrease of 266 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,254 to #8,458.
What does the Census say about the background of Bigler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bigler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Bigler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (3,507 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bigler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Bigler (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 Bigler mean?
A German occupational surname for a maker or seller of bugles, a type of musical horn. 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 Bigler (1.25 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 Bigler?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Bigler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.