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

Heggins, 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 Heggins surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heggins in America

Heggins is the 45253rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heggins surname appeared 473 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 Heggins.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heggins 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 Heggins

The surname Heggins has its origins in the medieval English county of Lancashire. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "heg" meaning hay and "ing" meaning a meadow or enclosure, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a hayfield or enclosure for hay.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the late 13th century, when a Robert de Heggynges was documented in the Lancashire Assize Rolls of 1292. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.

In the 14th century, variations of the name such as Heggyns and Heggons appear in various records from Lancashire and neighboring counties. The Heggins surname is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of 1332 for the village of Wigan in Lancashire.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the Heggins surname was John Heggins, a merchant from Lancashire who was involved in the wool trade with the continent in the late 15th century. Records indicate that he exported wool to the Netherlands and Flanders between 1480 and 1495.

In the 16th century, the Heggins surname appears to have spread to other parts of England, with records showing individuals with this name living in counties such as Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. One example is William Heggins, a landowner from Lincolnshire who is mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524.

During the 17th century, several members of the Heggins family were prominent in the religious and academic spheres. Reverend Thomas Heggins (1602-1678) was a noted Puritan clergyman and author from Lancashire, while his nephew, John Heggins (1630-1692), was a scholar and fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.

Another notable figure from this era was Captain Richard Heggins (1625-1682), a naval officer who served in the Anglo-Dutch Wars and is recorded as having commanded the ship HMS Newbury in the Battle of Solebay in 1672.

As the centuries progressed, the Heggins surname continued to be found throughout various regions of England, with individuals bearing this name engaging in a variety of occupations and professions. Some examples from the 18th and 19th centuries include artist Robert Heggins (1760-1835) and author Margaret Heggins (1812-1878).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heggins

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

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

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

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