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

Higdon, 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 Higdon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Higdon in America

Higdon is the 3642nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Higdon surname appeared 9,753 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Higdon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Higdon 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 Higdon

The surname HIGDON has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hege" meaning hedge and "dun" meaning hill, potentially referring to a person who lived near a hedged hill or enclosure.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire, dated 1199, where a Thomas de Higgdun is mentioned. This suggests that the name was present in the Staffordshire region during that time period.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Higdun, Huggedun, and Hygdone, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling during that era. A notable bearer of the name was Robert de Higdun, a chronicler and monk at the Abbey of St. Werburgh in Chester, who lived from around 1280 to 1347.

The Hundred Rolls of 1273 record a Richard de Huggeden in Oxfordshire, while the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 mention a Roger de Huggedon in Cambridgeshire. These instances indicate the name's presence in various parts of England during the medieval period.

In the 16th century, the name evolved to its more modern spelling of Higdon. One notable individual from this time was William Higdon, a prominent merchant and landowner in Somerset, who lived from around 1520 to 1585.

The Hearth Tax Rolls of the late 17th century list several Higdon families in counties like Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, suggesting the name's continued presence in the southwest of England.

Prominent bearers of the HIGDON surname include John Higdon (1650-1722), a successful merchant and member of the East India Company, and Thomas Higdon (1770-1845), a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in London.

Other notable individuals with the HIGDON surname include William Higdon (1805-1879), a pioneer settler in Illinois, and Mary Higdon (1891-1972), a renowned educator and civil rights activist in Tennessee.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Higdon

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

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

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

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