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

Bigsby, 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 Bigsby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bigsby in America

Bigsby is the 27783rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bigsby surname appeared 865 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 Bigsby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bigsby 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 Bigsby

The surname Bigsby is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the Old English words "byg" meaning "ridge" and "by" meaning "settlement," referring to someone who lived near a ridge settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Biggesby." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Bigesbi" in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, indicating that the family may have originated or had holdings in that county.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the surname began to appear in various spellings, such as "Biggesby," "Biggisbie," and "Biggisby," reflecting the fluid nature of spelling conventions at the time.

One notable figure with the surname Bigsby was Sir John Bigsby (1780-1868), an English geologist and explorer who conducted extensive surveys in Canada and published several works on the geology and natural history of North America.

Another individual of note was William Bigsby (1786-1861), an English clergyman and antiquarian who wrote extensively on the history and antiquities of Repton and its surrounding areas in Derbyshire.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the surname was John Jeremiah Bigsby (1792-1881), an English-born physician and geologist who settled in Canada and became a pioneer in the field of Canadian geology.

During the 19th century, the surname Bigsby was also associated with Edward Bigsby (1807-1878), an English artist and illustrator known for his work on Thomas Carlyle's "Latter-Day Pamphlets."

Another individual of note was Robert Bigsby (1806-1873), an English architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.

Throughout its history, the surname Bigsby has maintained a strong connection to its English roots, with many bearers contributing to various fields, including geology, exploration, literature, art, and architecture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bigsby

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

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

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

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