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

Liggans, 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 Liggans surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Liggans in America

Liggans is the 97210th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Liggans surname appeared 187 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 Liggans.

We can also compare 2010 data for Liggans 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 Liggans

The surname Liggans has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the late 15th century. It is believed to derive from the old Scottish word "lig," meaning to lie or recline, and is thought to have referred to someone who lived near a particular meadow or field.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Parish Records of Kilmarnock, Scotland, dating back to 1495, where a John Liggans is mentioned. The name is also found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1508, where a Robert Liggans is listed as a landowner in the county of Ayr.

In the 16th century, the surname is documented in various manuscripts and records, including the Protocol Book of Gavin Ros, where a Thomas Liggans is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in 1548. The name also appears in the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland from 1567, where a David Liggans is granted a pardon for his involvement in a feud.

The earliest known bearer of the name Liggans was Sir William Liggans, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. His descendant, Sir John Liggans, was a prominent figure during the reign of King James IV in the late 15th century.

In the 17th century, the Liggans family was well-established in the Scottish lowlands, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. One notable figure from this period was Robert Liggans, a Presbyterian minister who was persecuted for his religious beliefs during the Killing Times of the 1680s.

As the Liggans family spread throughout Scotland and beyond, variations in spelling emerged, such as Liggins, Ligan, and Ligan. In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the north of England, where the name was sometimes anglicized to Liggins or Liggons.

Other notable individuals bearing the Liggans surname include:

1. James Liggans (1785-1858), a Scottish poet and schoolmaster from Ayrshire.
2. William Liggans (1812-1889), a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Liggans Institute in Monmouth, Illinois.
3. Eliza Liggans (1834-1911), an American educator and suffragist from Ohio.
4. John Liggans (1856-1928), a Scottish-born Australian politician and businessman who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
5. Margaret Liggans (1890-1966), a Scottish artist known for her landscape paintings and portraits.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Liggans

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

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

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

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