2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bigrigg
An English surname derived from a place name, referring to a big ridge or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Bigrigg. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bigrigg 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Bigrigg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bigrigg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bigrigg
The surname BIGRIGG has its origins in the northern counties of England, particularly in Cumberland, Westmorland, and Yorkshire. It likely dates back to the 12th or 13th century, derived from the Old Norse words "bý" meaning a farmstead or village, and "hryggr" meaning a ridge or hill.
The earliest recorded instances of the name BIGRIGG are found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where it appears as "Bygrig." This suggests that the name was originally a topographic surname, describing a person who lived near a prominent ridge or hill.
In the 16th century, the name is found in various spellings, such as "Bygregg," "Bigrig," and "Bigrigg," in parish records and manorial rolls from the northern counties. One notable example is John Bigrigg, who was born in Kendal, Westmorland, around 1550 and served as a member of the local militia.
The BIGRIGG surname is closely associated with the Bigrigg Fell, a hill located in the Lake District of Cumbria. It is believed that some early bearers of the name may have lived or worked in this area, contributing to the prominence of the surname in the region.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662-1663 for Cumberland, where several BIGRIGG families are recorded as residing in various parishes, such as Greystoke and Crosthwaite.
One notable figure with the BIGRIGG surname was William Bigrigg, born in 1681 in Kendal, Westmorland. He was a prominent landowner and served as a Justice of the Peace for the county.
Another individual of note was Thomas Bigrigg, born in 1770 in Crosthwaite, Cumberland. He was a respected clergyman and author, publishing several works on theology and local history.
In the 19th century, the BIGRIGG surname continued to be found primarily in the northern counties of England. One notable bearer was John Bigrigg, born in 1815 in Penrith, Cumberland. He was a successful businessman and served as a local magistrate.
Throughout its history, the BIGRIGG surname has maintained a strong presence in the northern regions of England, particularly in Cumberland, Westmorland, and Yorkshire, where it originated as a topographic name describing those who lived near prominent ridges or hills.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bigrigg
Among Census respondents with the surname Bigrigg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bigrigg 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 Bigrigg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bigrigg
Bigrigg 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-5 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,613 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,842 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 15,613 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 4,842 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 Bigrigg 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 | #158,432 | #153,590 | 3.1% |
| Count | 102 | 104 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bigrigg bearers went from 102 to 104 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 4,842 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #153,590.
FAQ
Bigrigg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bigrigg?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Bigrigg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Bigrigg?
Bigrigg ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Bigrigg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bigrigg.
Has Bigrigg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bigrigg went from 102 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 2 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Bigrigg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bigrigg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Bigrigg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bigrigg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Bigrigg (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 Bigrigg mean?
An English surname derived from a place name, referring to a big ridge or hill. 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 Bigrigg (0.03 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 common is the surname Bigrigg?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Bigrigg at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.