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

Higgins, 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 Higgins surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Higgins in America

Higgins is the 68770th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Higgins surname appeared 286 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 Higgins.

We can also compare 2010 data for Higgins 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 Higgins

The surname Higgens is of English origin, deriving from the medieval given name Higgin or Higge, which were diminutive forms of the personal name Hugh. The name Hugh itself is derived from the Germanic elements "hug" meaning heart, mind, or soul.

Higgens first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a personal name, with references to individuals such as Higge and Higge filius Radulfi. It is likely that the surname Higgens emerged as a distinguishing name in the 12th or 13th century, as the use of hereditary surnames became more widespread in England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Higgens can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285, where a certain William Higgens is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, which lists a John Higgens.

The name Higgens has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including Higgins, Higginson, and Higgenson. These variations often reflected regional dialects or scribal errors in record-keeping.

Notable individuals with the surname Higgens include:

1. Sir Richard Higgens (c. 1508 - 1570), an English diplomat and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

2. John Higgens (c. 1592 - 1659), an English clergyman who authored several religious works, including "An Instruction for the right comforting Afflicted Consciences" (1624).

3. Richard Higgens (1670 - 1735), an English painter known for his portraits and historical subjects.

4. William Higgens (1763 - 1825), a British poet and writer who published works such as "The Traveller's Guide" (1797) and "The Poetical Works of William Higgens" (1806).

5. Francis Higgens (1796 - 1853), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.

While the surname Higgens is not as common as its variant spellings, it has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England and the personal name Hugh.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Higgins

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!