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

Higgs, 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 Higgs surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Higgs in America

Higgs is the 3458th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Higgs surname appeared 10,333 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Higgs.

We can also compare 2010 data for Higgs 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 Higgs

The surname Higgs is of English origin and is derived from the medieval given name Higgs, a pet form of Hugh. The name Hugh ultimately comes from the Germanic elements "hug" meaning heart, mind, or soul.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Higgs dates back to the late 12th century in various counties across England, particularly in Yorkshire and Essex. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Higges, who was recorded in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285.

The Higgs surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings such as Higges, Higgis, and Hygges, reflecting the lack of standardized spelling at the time.

In the 14th century, the Higgs family was well-established in the village of Berkeswell, Warwickshire. This is evident from the records of the Warwickshire Feet of Fines, which mention several individuals with the surname Higgs in connection with land transactions.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir William Higgs (c. 1440-1508), a wealthy merchant and shipowner from Bristol, England. He was a prominent figure in the city and served as its mayor in 1499.

Another famous Higgs was John Higgs (c. 1585-1659), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Rector of Chalderton, Wiltshire, and was a fellow of St. John's College, Oxford.

In the 18th century, James Higgs (1736-1793) was a renowned English engraver and sculptor known for his intricate works in ivory and boxwood.

The Higgs surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Higgs Hole in Gloucestershire and Higgs Farm in Kent, which may have influenced the spelling and distribution of the name.

One of the most famous bearers of the Higgs surname in modern times is Peter Higgs (born 1929), the British theoretical physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013 for his prediction of the existence of the Higgs boson particle.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Higgs

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Higgs, 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!