2000
#641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,355
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.93
Uncommon Last name
Wiggins
Derived from the Old English given name Wicga, with the addition of the patronymic suffix -ing and the genitive ending -s.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 55,453 Americans carry the last name Wiggins. That puts it at #688 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,181 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wiggins surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wiggins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
55K
1 in 6,181
Census rank
#688
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
16.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
48K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 48,358 bearers of the surname Wiggins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 688th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiggins, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.0%. The next largest groups are Black (39.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wiggins
The surname Wiggins has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "wigg," meaning a meadow, or "wic," meaning a dwelling or dairy farm. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a meadow or a dairy farm.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1176, where it appears as "Wigingis." The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also mention a "Richard Wyging" from Oxfordshire. Over time, the name evolved into its modern spelling of "Wiggins."
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Wiggins was Sir William Wiggins (c. 1538-1608), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for Ipswich. He was involved in the cloth trade and played a significant role in the development of Ipswich.
Another prominent figure was Captain Thomas Wiggins (c. 1590-1668), an English sea captain and adventurer who is believed to have been among the first Englishmen to visit Australia. He explored the coast of New Holland (modern-day Australia) in the 1620s and wrote accounts of his voyages.
In the realm of literature, Ebenezer Wiggins (1796-1862) was a British poet and writer known for his works on education and moral philosophy. He published several books, including "The Pleasures of Study" and "The True Educator."
Rufus Wiggins (1809-1870) was an American educator and academic who served as the president of the University of Alabama from 1853 to 1856. He played a significant role in the development of the university during his tenure.
In the 20th century, John Wiggins (1920-2008) was a prominent British actor known for his roles in various television series and films, including "Doctor Who" and "The Avengers."
The name Wiggins has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Wigginton in Oxfordshire, which is derived from the Old English "Wiginga tun," meaning the farm or settlement of Wigga's people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wiggins
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiggins, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.0%. The next largest groups are Black (39.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Wiggins bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Wiggins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.0% · 25,126
- Black or African American39.1% · 18,898
- Two or more races4.7% · 2,266
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,605
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 266
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 197
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wiggins
Wiggins appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,247
+1,892 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 17.03
Rank movement Down 44 places
2020
#688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,358
-1,889 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 16.18
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #641 | 48,355 | 17.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #685 | 50,247 | 17.03 | +1,892 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 44 places |
| 2020 | #688 | 48,358 | 16.18 | -1,889 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 3 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Wiggins surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #685 | #688 | -0.4% |
| Count | 50,247 | 48,358 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 17.03 | 16.18 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wiggins bearers went from 50,247 to 48,358 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #685 to #688.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wiggins
FAQ
Wiggins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wiggins?
Name Census estimates that about 55,453 living Americans carry the surname Wiggins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,181 residents.
How common is Wiggins?
Wiggins ranks #688 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 48,358 people with the surname Wiggins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (55,453), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Wiggins.
Has Wiggins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wiggins went from 50,247 recorded bearers to 48,358. That is a decrease of 1,889 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #685 to #688.
What does the Census say about the background of Wiggins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiggins, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.0%. The next largest groups are Black (39.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Wiggins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.0% (25,126 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wiggins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.0%), Black (39.1%), Two or More Races (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Wiggins (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Wiggins mean?
Derived from the Old English given name Wicga, with the addition of the patronymic suffix -ing and the genitive ending -s. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Wiggins (16.18 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Wiggins?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.