2000
#3,510
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,310
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.45
Uncommon Last name
Higdon
Derived from a place name meaning "hill of the hawk" in Old English, originating in Somerset, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,487 Americans carry the last name Higdon. That puts it at #3,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,684 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Higdon 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Higdon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 32,684
Census rank
#3,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,145 bearers of the surname Higdon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Higdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Higdon
Among Census respondents with the surname Higdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Higdon 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 Higdon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 7,968
- Black or African American4.9% · 450
- Two or more races4.4% · 401
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 198
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Higdon
Higdon 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
#3,642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,753
+443 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 3.31
Rank movement Down 132 places
2020
#3,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,145
-608 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 3.06
Rank movement Down 146 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,510 | 9,310 | 3.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,642 | 9,753 | 3.31 | +443 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 132 places |
| 2020 | #3,788 | 9,145 | 3.06 | -608 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 146 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 Higdon 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 | #3,642 | #3,788 | -4.0% |
| Count | 9,753 | 9,145 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.31 | 3.06 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Higdon bearers went from 9,753 to 9,145 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 146 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,642 to #3,788.
FAQ
Higdon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Higdon?
Name Census estimates that about 10,487 living Americans carry the surname Higdon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,684 residents.
How common is Higdon?
Higdon ranks #3,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,145 people with the surname Higdon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,487), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Higdon.
Has Higdon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Higdon went from 9,753 recorded bearers to 9,145. That is a decrease of 608 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,642 to #3,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Higdon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Higdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Higdon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (7,968 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Higdon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Black (4.9%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Higdon (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 Higdon mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hill of the hawk" in Old English, originating in Somerset, England. 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 Higdon (3.06 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 many people are called Higdon?
Find out how common the surname Higdon is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.