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

Liggett, 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 Liggett surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Liggett in America

Liggett is the 7348th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Liggett surname appeared 4,535 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Liggett.

We can also compare 2010 data for Liggett 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 Liggett

The surname Liggett has its origins in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "lyce" meaning a body and "geat" meaning a gate or path. This suggests the name may have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a gate or path leading to a church or cemetery.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, which mentions a Walter Liggat. The varied spellings of the name, such as Liggett, Lygat, Lygett, and Lyggate, were common during the Middle Ages due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.

The Liggett surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Lygat Bridge in Derbyshire and Lygat Field in Nottinghamshire. These place names likely contributed to the adoption of the surname by families residing in those areas.

In the 16th century, the Liggett surname appeared in the records of the Parish of Cheadle, Staffordshire, with the mention of a William Liggett in 1594. Another notable early record is that of John Liggett, who was born in Chigwell, Essex, in 1638.

Throughout history, the Liggett surname has been borne by several notable individuals, including:

1. William Liggett (1789-1865), an American businessman and pioneer who founded the Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company in St. Louis, Missouri.
2. Walter Liggett (1886-1935), an American journalist and co-founder of the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) syndicate.
3. Albert Liggett (1887-1963), an American businessman and co-founder of the Liggett Drug Company, a chain of retail drug stores.
4. Thomas Liggett (1944-2014), an American actor known for his roles in films such as "Klute" and "The Hunter."
5. Sarah Liggett (1957-present), an American artist and sculptor known for her large-scale public installations.

The Liggett surname has a rich history dating back to medieval England, with its origins likely rooted in locational references and place names. While the spelling variations have evolved over time, the name has been carried by notable individuals across various fields, from business and journalism to arts and entertainment.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Liggett

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

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

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

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