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 400th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Higgins surname appeared 79,803 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 27 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 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.

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.

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