2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wiggleton
From a village or locality called Wiggleton; meaning "settlement with a serpentine path".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Wiggleton. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wiggleton 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.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Wiggleton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiggleton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 62.4%. The next largest groups are White (36.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wiggleton
The surname Wiggleton is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. The earliest records suggest that the name is derived from a combination of Old English elements. The first part, "wiggle," could be associated with the Old English word "wig," meaning war or battle, although it is also possible that it relates to the verb "wiglian," meaning to wiggle or move. The second part, "ton," comes from the Old English "tun," meaning town or settlement. Thus, Wiggleton could be interpreted as "the settlement of the wiggle" or "town of the warring people."
Wiggleton is not commonly found in early historical manuscripts. Unlike more frequently encountered surnames, it does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086. However, some early records show various spellings such as Wigelton, Wygleton, and Wigletun. One of the earliest documented instances of the name appears in a 13th-century tax roll from 1287, which lists a John de Wiggleton living in the county of Staffordshire.
Another early reference can be found in the records of the Court of Common Pleas in 1363, where a William de Wiggleton appears as a witness in a land dispute case. This suggests that the name had already begun to spread through England by the mid-14th century. The suffix "de" in these records indicates a locative or geographic origin, supporting the theory that Wiggleton was originally a place name.
A notable figure bearing the Wiggleton surname is Sir Geoffrey Wiggleton, born in 1432 and died in 1501. Sir Geoffrey was a knight who served under King Edward IV during the Wars of the Roses. Historical accounts praise his valor and strategic acumen during key battles such as the Battle of Barnet in 1471.
In the 17th century, records indicate that the name had migrated northward. A Reverend Thomas Wiggleton, born in 1602 and died in 1678, served as a prominent church leader in Northern England, specifically in the area that is now modern-day Yorkshire. His sermons and treatises contribute to the spread of Protestant ideas during a time of significant religious upheaval.
By the 18th century, the name Wiggleton had appeared in colonial America. Records from the early 1700s document a Joseph Wiggleton, born in 1679, who emigrated to Virginia in 1705. He is noted for being one of the early settlers who contributed to the establishment of local governance in the colony.
In the early 19th century, we find references to a scholar named Dr. Elizabeth Wiggleton, born in 1795 and died in 1867. She was a pioneering academic in the field of natural sciences and one of the first women to obtain a degree in her field at the University of Cambridge, England.
By examining these historical references, it is evident that the surname Wiggleton has a rich and varied history. Originating as a compound of Old English elements, it evolved from a possibly locative name into a surname that appears across various historical records from medieval battles to the early days of American colonization, enriching the tapestry of English—and then American—surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wiggleton
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiggleton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 62.4%. The next largest groups are White (36.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wiggleton 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 Wiggleton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American62.4% · 73
- White36.8% · 43
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wiggleton
Wiggleton 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-9 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 20,219 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+17 bearers (+17.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 16,705 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 20,219 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+17.0%) | Up 16,705 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 Wiggleton 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 | #160,975 | #144,270 | 10.4% |
| Count | 100 | 117 | 17.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wiggleton bearers went from 100 to 117 (+17.0% change). The surname moved up 16,705 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #144,270.
FAQ
Wiggleton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wiggleton?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Wiggleton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Wiggleton?
Wiggleton ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Wiggleton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Wiggleton.
Has Wiggleton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wiggleton went from 100 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 17 (+17.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Wiggleton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiggleton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 62.4%. The next largest groups are White (36.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Wiggleton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.4% (73 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wiggleton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (62.4%), White (36.8%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Wiggleton (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 Wiggleton mean?
From a village or locality called Wiggleton; meaning "settlement with a serpentine path". 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 Wiggleton (0.04 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 Wiggleton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.