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

Bigness, 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 Bigness surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bigness in America

Bigness is the 58876th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bigness surname appeared 344 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bigness.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bigness 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 Bigness

The surname Bigness is of English origin, emerging in the late medieval period, around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bigenga," which translates to "one who dwells near a bend or curve," suggesting that the name's earliest bearers lived near a curved or winding road or river.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hertfordshire County Records of 1273, where a John Byggyng is mentioned. This variation in spelling, "Byggyng," was common in those times due to the inconsistent nature of spelling rules.

During the 14th century, the surname Bigness began to appear in various medieval documents, such as the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, which mention a William Bignes in 1341. The name's prevalence in this region suggests that it may have originated in the county of Gloucestershire or its surrounding areas.

In the 15th century, the name gained further recognition with the birth of Sir Thomas Bigness (1446-1516), a notable English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of Henry VII. His descendant, John Bigness (1498-1572), was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.

The 16th century saw the emergence of another notable figure bearing the Bigness name, Richard Bigness (1530-1585), a renowned English clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Winchester from 1580 until his death.

In the 17th century, the Bigness family continued to make their mark, with the birth of Sir Edward Bigness (1612-1677), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1673 until his passing.

The 18th century witnessed the rise of yet another distinguished Bigness, Sir William Bigness (1738-1810), a celebrated English naval officer who played a crucial role in several major naval battles during the Napoleonic Wars, including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bigness

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

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

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

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