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

Riggin, 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 Riggin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Riggin in America

Riggin is the 15995th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Riggin surname appeared 1,815 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 Riggin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Riggin 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 Riggin

The surname Riggin has its origins in England, tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "rigging," which referred to a ridge or hill. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname likely lived in or near a ridge or hilly area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a Robert de Rigginge is mentioned. This indicates that the surname was already established in the region during the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, including Riggin, Rygyn, and Ryggyn, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that time. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 record a John de Rygyn in Oxfordshire, while the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 mention a William Ryggyn in Cambridgeshire.

The Riggin surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Riggindale in the East Riding of Yorkshire and Riggan in Lancashire. These locations may have influenced the surname's development or provided a geographical link for some families bearing the name.

Notable historical figures with the surname Riggin include:

1. John Riggin (c. 1560-1630), an English clergyman and writer from Lincolnshire.
2. Thomas Riggin (1634-1698), an English merchant and landowner from Norfolk.
3. Elizabeth Riggin (1688-1765), an English diarist and author from Hertfordshire.
4. William Riggin (1721-1789), a British army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War.
5. James Riggin (1803-1872), an English politician and member of parliament for Lancashire.

While the surname Riggin is not among the most common in modern times, its historical roots and connections to various regions of England provide insights into the lives and backgrounds of those who bore this name throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Riggin

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

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

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