2000
#2,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,404
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.34
Uncommon Last name
Higginbotham
Derived from a place name meaning "Higgin's home" or "Higgin's settlement" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,164 Americans carry the last name Higginbotham. That puts it at #2,662 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,603 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Higginbotham 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 Higginbotham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,603
Census rank
#2,662
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,224 bearers of the surname Higginbotham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2662nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Higginbotham, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Higginbotham
The surname Higginbotham has its origins in the county of Lancashire, England, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "hyccan" meaning "to hitch" or "to hike up," and "botham" which refers to a dwelling or homestead. This suggests that the name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived in a house or settlement on higher ground or at the top of a hill.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name appears in the Lancashire Inquests of 1311, where a Richard de Hykynbotham is listed as a landowner. The spelling variations in historical records include Hikenbotham, Hykynbotham, and Higginbothom, reflecting the evolving pronunciation and written forms over time.
The Higginbotham name can be traced to the township of Higginbotham, located in the parish of Wigan, Lancashire. This place name is believed to have given rise to the surname, as it was common for people to adopt the names of the areas in which they lived or worked.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the Higginbotham surname was William Higginbotham (c. 1520-1585), an English yeoman and landowner from Lancashire. He is mentioned in various legal documents and property records from the period.
Another notable individual was Thomas Higginbotham (1630-1687), an English Puritan clergyman and author who served as the vicar of Leigh, Lancashire. He wrote several religious works and was known for his nonconformist views.
Crossing the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Higginbotham name in America was Richard Higginbotham (c. 1660-1720), who settled in Pennsylvania in the late 17th century. He was a Quaker and established a successful farm in what is now Chester County.
In the 18th century, John Higginbotham (1738-1824) was a notable figure from Virginia. He served as a Captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent landowner and politician in the state.
Another prominent individual was James Higginbotham (1792-1861), an American lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania. He served as a Whig member of the United States House of Representatives from 1849 to 1853.
The Higginbotham surname has a rich history rooted in the English county of Lancashire, originating from a descriptive term related to housing or settlements on higher ground. While its earliest recorded instances date back to the 13th century, the name has been carried by notable individuals across various fields, from clergymen and authors to military officers and politicians, both in England and later in America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Higginbotham
Among Census respondents with the surname Higginbotham, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Higginbotham 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 Higginbotham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.4% · 11,290
- Black or African American6.3% · 831
- Two or more races3.7% · 489
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 463
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 101
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Higginbotham
Higginbotham 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
#2,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,489
+85 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 4.91
Rank movement Down 188 places
2020
#2,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,224
-1,265 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 4.42
Rank movement Down 170 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,304 | 14,404 | 5.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,492 | 14,489 | 4.91 | +85 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 188 places |
| 2020 | #2,662 | 13,224 | 4.42 | -1,265 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 170 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 Higginbotham 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 | #2,492 | #2,662 | -6.8% |
| Count | 14,489 | 13,224 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.91 | 4.42 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Higginbotham bearers went from 14,489 to 13,224 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 170 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,492 to #2,662.
FAQ
Higginbotham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Higginbotham?
Name Census estimates that about 15,164 living Americans carry the surname Higginbotham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,603 residents.
How common is Higginbotham?
Higginbotham ranks #2,662 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,224 people with the surname Higginbotham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Higginbotham.
Has Higginbotham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Higginbotham went from 14,489 recorded bearers to 13,224. That is a decrease of 1,265 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,492 to #2,662.
What does the Census say about the background of Higginbotham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Higginbotham, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Higginbotham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (11,290 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Higginbotham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.4%), Black (6.3%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Higginbotham (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 Higginbotham mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Higgin's home" or "Higgin's settlement" in Old English. 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 Higginbotham (4.42 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 common is the surname Higginbotham?
If you just want to know how common the surname Higginbotham is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.