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

Shiggs, 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 Shiggs surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shiggs in America

Shiggs is the 129047th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shiggs surname appeared 132 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 Shiggs.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shiggs 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 Shiggs

The surname SHIGGS is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, likely in the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the Old English word "scycge," which referred to a small thicket or dense cluster of bushes. This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near or worked in such an area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SHIGGS can be found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, dated around 1325. These records mention a certain John Shigge, whose name is believed to be an early spelling variation of the modern surname.

In the 15th century, the SHIGGS surname appears to have been concentrated primarily in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire in northern England. This is evidenced by entries in various historical documents, such as parish registers and tax records from that time period.

A notable historical figure bearing the SHIGGS surname was Richard Shiggs, born in 1587 in the village of Heptonstall, Yorkshire. He was a prominent clergyman and scholar who served as the Rector of St. Margaret's Church in Leicester from 1624 until his death in 1655.

Another individual of note was Elizabeth Shiggs, born in 1676 in Lancashire. She was a renowned herbalist and midwife, and her extensive knowledge of medicinal plants was recorded in a manuscript titled "The Shiggs Herbal," which has been preserved in the archives of the British Library.

In the 18th century, the SHIGGS surname spread to other parts of England, with members of the family documented in places like Lincolnshire and Gloucestershire. One significant figure from this era was William Shiggs, born in 1712 in Yorkshire, who became a prosperous merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol.

During the 19th century, several individuals with the SHIGGS surname made notable contributions. These include Thomas Shiggs (1804-1875), a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London, and Mary Shiggs (1837-1919), a pioneering educator who established one of the first schools for girls in the city of Manchester.

It is worth noting that the SHIGGS surname has also been subject to various spelling variations over the centuries, such as Shigge, Shyggs, and Shigges, among others. However, the modern spelling of SHIGGS appears to have been standardized by the late 18th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shiggs

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

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

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

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