NameCensus.

UK surname

Higgs

Derived from a place name meaning "high" or referring to a person from such a place.

In the 1881 census there were 5,459 people recorded with the Higgs surname, ranking it #815 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,787, ranked #993, down from #815 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sedgemoor, Powys and Dudley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Higgs is 7,850 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 24.3%.

1881 census count

5,459

Ranked #815

Modern count

6,787

2016, ranked #993

Peak year

1911

7,850 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Higgs had 5,459 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #815 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,787 in 2016, ranked #993.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,850 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Higgs surname distribution map

The map shows where the Higgs surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Higgs surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Higgs over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 3,532 #801
1861 historical 3,550 #792
1881 historical 5,459 #815
1891 historical 5,977 #784
1901 historical 6,957 #796
1911 historical 7,850 #657
1997 modern 6,906 #939
1998 modern 7,242 #937
1999 modern 7,290 #937
2000 modern 7,208 #942
2001 modern 7,013 #944
2002 modern 7,160 #942
2003 modern 6,941 #946
2004 modern 6,937 #952
2005 modern 6,714 #975
2006 modern 6,700 #978
2007 modern 6,726 #980
2008 modern 6,784 #977
2009 modern 6,884 #988
2010 modern 6,991 #992
2011 modern 6,901 #989
2012 modern 6,782 #985
2013 modern 6,952 #979
2014 modern 6,937 #986
2015 modern 6,871 #986
2016 modern 6,787 #993

Geography

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Where Higgs' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sedgemoor, Powys, Dudley, Gloucester and Bath and North East Somerset. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sedgemoor 012 Sedgemoor
2 Powys 010 Powys
3 Dudley 008 Dudley
4 Gloucester 007 Gloucester
5 Bath and North East Somerset 023 Bath and North East Somerset

Forenames

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First names often paired with Higgs

These lists show first names that appear often with the Higgs surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Higgs

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Higgs, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Higgs surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Higgs household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Higgs is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Higgs is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Higgs falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Higgs is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Higgs, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Higgs

The surname Higgs is of English origin and is derived from the medieval given name Higgs, a pet form of Hugh. The name Hugh ultimately comes from the Germanic elements "hug" meaning heart, mind, or soul.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Higgs dates back to the late 12th century in various counties across England, particularly in Yorkshire and Essex. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Higges, who was recorded in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285.

The Higgs surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings such as Higges, Higgis, and Hygges, reflecting the lack of standardized spelling at the time.

In the 14th century, the Higgs family was well-established in the village of Berkeswell, Warwickshire. This is evident from the records of the Warwickshire Feet of Fines, which mention several individuals with the surname Higgs in connection with land transactions.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir William Higgs (c. 1440-1508), a wealthy merchant and shipowner from Bristol, England. He was a prominent figure in the city and served as its mayor in 1499.

Another famous Higgs was John Higgs (c. 1585-1659), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Rector of Chalderton, Wiltshire, and was a fellow of St. John's College, Oxford.

In the 18th century, James Higgs (1736-1793) was a renowned English engraver and sculptor known for his intricate works in ivory and boxwood.

The Higgs surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Higgs Hole in Gloucestershire and Higgs Farm in Kent, which may have influenced the spelling and distribution of the name.

One of the most famous bearers of the Higgs surname in modern times is Peter Higgs (born 1929), the British theoretical physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013 for his prediction of the existence of the Higgs boson particle.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Higgs families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Higgs surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 924 Higgs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.74x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 924 1.74x
Surrey 493 1.90x
Berkshire 436 10.91x
Gloucestershire 430 4.12x
Staffordshire 429 2.39x
Warwickshire 302 2.25x
Buckinghamshire 237 7.36x
Worcestershire 203 2.92x
Lancashire 181 0.29x
Kent 169 0.93x
Oxfordshire 165 5.02x
Yorkshire 156 0.30x
Bedfordshire 101 3.66x
Monmouthshire 101 2.62x
Wiltshire 95 2.02x
Leicestershire 89 1.51x
Cornwall 87 1.44x
Shropshire 77 1.67x
Somerset 73 0.85x
Nottinghamshire 64 0.89x
Glamorgan 62 0.67x
Hampshire 61 0.56x
Essex 58 0.55x
Hertfordshire 50 1.36x
Montgomeryshire 50 4.10x
Northamptonshire 50 1.00x
Durham 47 0.30x
Sussex 45 0.50x
Devon 43 0.39x
Herefordshire 42 1.92x
Lincolnshire 25 0.29x
Cheshire 23 0.20x
Derbyshire 23 0.28x
Radnorshire 20 4.66x
Pembrokeshire 9 0.53x
Denbighshire 8 0.40x
Dorset 7 0.20x
Northumberland 6 0.08x
Fife 4 0.13x
Cumberland 3 0.07x
Suffolk 3 0.05x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.06x
Royal Navy 2 0.32x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.04x
Flintshire 1 0.07x
Midlothian 1 0.01x
Selkirkshire 1 0.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 112 Higgs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.50x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 112 2.50x
St Pancras London 94 2.19x
Lambeth 90 1.94x
Islington London 89 1.72x
Kingswinford 76 11.64x
Kensington London 69 2.33x
St Marylebone London 59 2.08x
Aston 54 1.46x
Newington 52 2.64x
East West Hanney 48 305.54x
Sutton Coldfield 48 34.00x
Clerkenwell London 46 3.66x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 45 4.58x
Battersea 44 2.25x
Cheltenham 44 5.46x
Wandsworth 40 7.80x
Mile End Old Town London 39 3.44x
Windlesham 38 77.87x
West Bromwich 37 3.60x
Upper Penn 36 79.96x
Llanidloes 32 35.38x
Rugby 32 17.61x
Wolverhampton 32 2.32x
Chipping Sodbury 31 159.22x
Reading St Giles 31 7.90x
Wedmore 31 55.58x
Bethnal Green London 29 1.25x
Dudley 29 3.43x
Hackney London 29 0.97x
Reading St Mary 29 9.06x
Camberwell 28 0.82x
Sedgley 28 4.19x
Willenhall 27 8.02x
Manchester 26 0.91x
Wednesbury 26 5.79x
Nottingham St Mary 25 1.35x
Shoreditch London 24 1.04x
Westminster St James 24 4.38x
Winkfield 24 36.18x
Highworth 23 38.20x
Rotherhithe 23 3.50x
St George Hanover Square 23 2.45x
Dunstable 22 25.96x
Loughton 22 372.25x
Stapleton 22 11.10x
Twickenham 22 9.64x
Bromley London 21 1.79x
Hambleden 21 76.31x
Westbury On Trym 21 5.94x
Dawley 20 11.95x
Mortimer 20 104.49x
Newbury 20 15.62x
Paddington London 20 1.02x
Trevethin 20 5.50x
Acton 19 6.09x
Chesham 19 16.01x
Clapham 19 2.85x
East Bedfont 19 71.89x
Halesowen 19 31.12x
Hammersmith London 19 1.45x
Hasbury 19 41.78x
Poplar London 19 1.89x
Yate 19 83.04x
Stranton 18 3.38x
Watford 18 6.33x
Winchcomb 18 34.74x
Bruntingthorpe 17 305.76x
Croydon 17 1.18x
Drayton Parslow 17 196.76x
Fulham London 17 2.20x
Leighton Buzzard 17 14.33x
Oxford St Clement 17 20.48x
Bodmin 16 16.04x
Egham 16 10.04x
St George In East London 16 3.19x
Tipton 16 2.91x
West Ham 16 0.69x
Wingrave 16 96.79x
Wolstanton 16 2.93x
Woolwich 16 2.38x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Higgs surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 308
Elizabeth 224
Sarah 208
Ann 104
Eliza 101
Jane 98
Annie 93
Alice 92
Emma 92
Ellen 91
Emily 89
Louisa 57
Hannah 48
Martha 47
Edith 45
Caroline 44
Harriet 40
Charlotte 37
Fanny 35
Florence 32
Lucy 32
Ada 30
Anne 29
Catherine 29
Margaret 28
Kate 25
Frances 24
Maria 24
Clara 23
Harriett 22
Amy 20
Rose 18
Susan 17
Amelia 15
Matilda 15
Elizth. 14
Minnie 14
Agnes 13
Ethel 13
Sophia 12
Gertrude 11
Lizzie 11
Lydia 11
Beatrice 10
Eleanor 10
Esther 10
Isabella 10
Jessie 9
Laura 9
Julia 8

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Higgs surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 346
John 266
George 195
Thomas 169
Charles 154
James 146
Henry 114
Joseph 105
Alfred 79
Arthur 64
Edward 61
Albert 60
Richard 48
Frederick 45
Walter 43
Harry 38
Samuel 38
Ernest 35
David 34
Frank 32
Robert 30
Benjamin 26
Edwin 26
Herbert 24
Wm. 15
Daniel 14
Francis 14
Fred 12
Stephen 12
Thos. 11
Andrew 10
Isaac 9
Fredrick 8
Lewis 8
Chas. 5
Eli 5
Josiah 5
Moses 5
Philip 5
Reuben 5
Sidney 5
Tom 5
Cornelius 4
Edgar 4
Fredk. 4
Jesse 4
Louis 4
Mark 4
Percy 4
Sydney 4

FAQ

Higgs surname: questions and answers

How common was the Higgs surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,459 people were recorded with the Higgs surname. That placed it at #815 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Higgs surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,787 in 2016. That gives Higgs a modern rank of #993.

What does the Higgs surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "high" or referring to a person from such a place.

What does the Higgs map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Higgs bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.