2000
#365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 78,107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 28.95
Uncommon Last name
Higgins
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó hUiginn, meaning "descendant of Uiginn," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 86,900 Americans carry the last name Higgins. That puts it at #422 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 25.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,944 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Higgins 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 Higgins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
87K
1 in 3,944
Census rank
#422
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
25.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
76K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 75,781 bearers of the surname Higgins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 25.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 422nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Higgins, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Higgins
The surname Higgins is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic personal name Ó hUiginn, meaning "descendant of Uiginn". Uiginn is a diminutive form of the Gaelic name Uaithne, which is derived from the word "uath" meaning "terrible" or "dreadful".
The Higgins name can be traced back to County Sligo in the west of Ireland, where it was first found in the 11th century. The family was part of the Ui Fiachrach, a powerful dynasty that ruled over parts of Connacht and Ulster.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name is found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a Gilla-Críst Ó hUiginn in the year 1167. The Annals also record several other members of the Ó hUiginn family in subsequent centuries.
The Domesday Book, a detailed survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any mention of the Higgins surname, as it was not yet in use in England at that time.
In the 16th century, the name began to appear in its anglicized form of Higgins, as the Irish language was suppressed and English became more prevalent. Notable figures with the Higgins surname during this period include Fergal Ó hUiginn (c. 1520-1594), a renowned Irish poet and historian.
Other notable individuals with the Higgins surname include:
1. Francis Higgins (1669-1728), an English theologian and author.
2. Shaun Higgins (born 1987), an Australian rules footballer.
3. Mary Higgins Clark (1927-2020), an American author of suspense novels.
4. Christopher Higgins (born 1983), a Canadian professional ice hockey player.
5. John Higgins (born 1975), a Scottish professional snooker player and four-time world champion.
The Higgins name has also been associated with various place names, such as Higginstown in County Westmeath, Ireland, and Higgins Beach in Scarborough, Maine, USA.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Higgins
Among Census respondents with the surname Higgins, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Higgins 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 Higgins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 61,589
- Black or African American10.4% · 7,890
- Two or more races3.8% · 2,868
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,562
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 518
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 354
Timeline
Historical Census data for Higgins
Higgins 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
#400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 79,803
+1,696 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 27.05
Rank movement Down 35 places
2020
#422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 75,781
-4,022 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 25.35
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #365 | 78,107 | 28.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #400 | 79,803 | 27.05 | +1,696 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 35 places |
| 2020 | #422 | 75,781 | 25.35 | -4,022 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 22 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 Higgins 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 | #400 | #422 | -5.5% |
| Count | 79,803 | 75,781 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 27.05 | 25.35 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Higgins bearers went from 79,803 to 75,781 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #400 to #422.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Higgins
FAQ
Higgins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Higgins?
Name Census estimates that about 86,900 living Americans carry the surname Higgins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,944 residents.
How common is Higgins?
Higgins ranks #422 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 25.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 25 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 75,781 people with the surname Higgins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (86,900), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 25.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 25.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 25 of them to have the surname Higgins.
Has Higgins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Higgins went from 79,803 recorded bearers to 75,781. That is a decrease of 4,022 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #400 to #422.
What does the Census say about the background of Higgins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Higgins, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Higgins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (61,589 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Higgins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.3%), Black (10.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Higgins (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 Higgins mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó hUiginn, meaning "descendant of Uiginn," a personal name of unknown meaning. 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 Higgins (25.35 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 Higgins?
You can see how many people have the surname Higgins on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.