2000
#12,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,369
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Wigginton
Derived from a place name meaning "town of Wicga's people," referring to a settlement associated with an Anglo-Saxon chief.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,627 Americans carry the last name Wigginton. That puts it at #12,830 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,474 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wigginton 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 Wigginton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 130,474
Census rank
#12,830
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,291 bearers of the surname Wigginton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12830th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wigginton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wigginton
The surname Wigginton originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. It is a locational name derived from the place name Wigginton, a parish in Oxfordshire. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "Wicga" and "tun," which together translate to "Wicga's farm or settlement."
Wigginton is also the name of villages and parishes in Hertfordshire, Staffordshire, and Wiltshire. These places were likely named after individuals with the surname Wigginton or its variations, such as Wiggington or Wickington, who settled there in ancient times.
The earliest known record of the surname Wigginton dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is written as "Wichingtone." This historical document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, provides a detailed survey of landowners and their properties across England.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Wigginton was Sir Giles Wigginton (c. 1325-1389), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire during the reigns of Edward III and Richard II.
Another notable figure with this surname was William Wigginton (c. 1460-1536), a wealthy merchant and member of the Guild of Merchant Taylors in London. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1512.
In the 16th century, Sir Robert Wigginton (c. 1520-1578) was a prominent English lawyer and judge. He served as a Justice of the Common Pleas during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
During the English Civil War, Colonel John Wigginton (c. 1610-1668) was a Parliamentarian officer who fought for the Roundheads against the Royalists. He played a significant role in the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
In the literary world, Richard Wigginton (1717-1787) was an English poet and playwright. He is best known for his satirical play "The Faction Display'd," which was performed in London in 1754.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wigginton
Among Census respondents with the surname Wigginton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Wigginton 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 Wigginton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 2,045
- Two or more races4.1% · 93
- Black or African American3.4% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wigginton
Wigginton 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
#12,785
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,413
+44 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 701 places
2020
#12,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,291
-122 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,084 | 2,369 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,785 | 2,413 | 0.82 | +44 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 701 places |
| 2020 | #12,830 | 2,291 | 0.77 | -122 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 45 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 Wigginton 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 | #12,785 | #12,830 | -0.4% |
| Count | 2,413 | 2,291 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.77 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wigginton bearers went from 2,413 to 2,291 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,785 to #12,830.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wigginton
FAQ
Wigginton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wigginton?
Name Census estimates that about 2,627 living Americans carry the surname Wigginton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,474 residents.
How common is Wigginton?
Wigginton ranks #12,830 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,291 people with the surname Wigginton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,627), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wigginton.
Has Wigginton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wigginton went from 2,413 recorded bearers to 2,291. That is a decrease of 122 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,785 to #12,830.
What does the Census say about the background of Wigginton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wigginton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (3.4%). 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 Wigginton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (2,045 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wigginton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Black (3.4%). 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 Wigginton (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 Wigginton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "town of Wicga's people," referring to a settlement associated with an Anglo-Saxon chief. 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 Wigginton (0.77 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 share the surname Wigginton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.