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

Rigg, 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 Rigg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rigg in America

Rigg is the 11339th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rigg surname appeared 2,783 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rigg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rigg 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 Rigg

The surname RIGG is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "hrycg," which means "ridge" or "hill." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name lived in areas characterized by ridges or hills.

The name RIGG was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of England, such as Yorkshire and Northumberland. It is thought to have originated as a topographic surname, describing the physical landscape where the first bearers of the name resided.

Historical records suggest that the RIGG surname can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known references to the name is found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, which mentions a John del Rigge.

In the 16th century, the RIGG surname was also documented in the Subsidy Rolls of Cumberland in 1547, where a Thomas Rigge was listed. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of northern England by that time.

The RIGG surname has also been associated with various place names in England. For instance, the village of Riggindale in North Yorkshire is thought to have derived its name from the presence of early RIGG families in the area.

Notable individuals with the RIGG surname throughout history include:

1. John Rigg (1753-1808), an English poet and writer from Sunderland.
2. Jonathan Rigg (1795-1859), an English Methodist minister and author from Yorkshire.
3. William Rigg (1828-1909), an English solicitor and Liberal politician who served as a Member of Parliament.
4. James Rigg (1839-1920), an English classical scholar and headmaster of Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Wakefield.
5. Arthur Rigg (1860-1937), an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

While the RIGG surname has its roots in northern England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America and Australia, due to migration and settlement patterns.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rigg

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

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

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

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