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

Wiggs, 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 Wiggs surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wiggs in America

Wiggs is the 9058th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wiggs surname appeared 3,608 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 Wiggs.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wiggs 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 Wiggs

The surname Wiggs is believed to have originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "wig" or "wic," meaning a dwelling or a village. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a particular village or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wiggs can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named "Wigga" in Lincolnshire.

During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various historical documents and manuscripts with slight variations in spelling, such as "Wigge," "Wygge," and "Wygges." These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.

In the 13th century, there are records of a person named John Wiggs who held land in Somerset, England. Another notable individual was Sir Thomas Wiggs, a member of the English gentry who lived in the 15th century and served as a member of the Parliament of England.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Wiggs surname was Robert Wiggs, born in 1520 in Gloucestershire, England. He was a prominent merchant and landowner during the Tudor period.

In the 17th century, the name Wiggs was also found in the parish records of several villages in Oxfordshire, such as Bampton and Charlbury, suggesting that the name had spread to different parts of England.

During the 18th century, a notable figure with the Wiggs surname was Sir William Wiggs, a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He was born in 1732 and played a significant role in several battles against the American colonists.

Another individual of note was Elizabeth Wiggs, an English author and poet who lived from 1765 to 1842. She published several works of poetry and prose that were popular during her lifetime.

Throughout the 19th century, the Wiggs surname continued to be present in various parts of England, as well as in the United States, where it was carried by English immigrants who settled in different regions of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wiggs

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

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

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

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