NameCensus.

UK surname

Higham

A locational surname derived from the place name Higham, referring to someone from an estate or hamlet called Higham.

In the 1881 census there were 3,062 people recorded with the Higham surname, ranking it #1,465 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,343, ranked #1,570, down from #1,465 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wigan, Manchester and Preston. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wigan, Bolton and Warrington.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Higham is 4,687 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 41.8%.

1881 census count

3,062

Ranked #1,465

Modern count

4,343

2016, ranked #1,570

Peak year

2010

4,687 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Higham had 3,062 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,465 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,343 in 2016, ranked #1,570.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,412 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Higham surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Higham surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Higham 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 1,739 #1,661
1861 historical 2,024 #1,436
1881 historical 3,062 #1,465
1891 historical 3,487 #1,365
1901 historical 3,975 #1,415
1911 historical 4,412 #1,164
1997 modern 4,405 #1,488
1998 modern 4,493 #1,506
1999 modern 4,605 #1,488
2000 modern 4,555 #1,494
2001 modern 4,485 #1,484
2002 modern 4,590 #1,484
2003 modern 4,520 #1,468
2004 modern 4,480 #1,481
2005 modern 4,387 #1,492
2006 modern 4,399 #1,492
2007 modern 4,436 #1,487
2008 modern 4,451 #1,498
2009 modern 4,603 #1,483
2010 modern 4,687 #1,493
2011 modern 4,548 #1,512
2012 modern 4,385 #1,533
2013 modern 4,442 #1,543
2014 modern 4,445 #1,557
2015 modern 4,405 #1,553
2016 modern 4,343 #1,570

Geography

Back to top

Where Highams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wigan, Manchester, Preston, Warrington and Bolton-le-Moors. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wigan, Bolton, Warrington and Preston. 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 Wigan Lancashire
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Preston Lancashire
4 Warrington Lancashire
5 Bolton-le-Moors Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wigan 008 Wigan
2 Wigan 006 Wigan
3 Bolton 031 Bolton
4 Warrington 007 Warrington
5 Preston 009 Preston

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Higham

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Higham

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Higham, 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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Higham is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Higham is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Higham falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Higham is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Higham

The surname Higham originates from England and can be traced back to the early Middle Ages. It is a locational surname derived from the Old English words "heh" meaning "high" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village." Therefore, Higham refers to a high-lying settlement or a village situated on elevated ground.

The name is believed to have originated in various parts of England, including Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Norfolk, where place names such as Higham Ferrers and Higham Gobion are found. These locations were first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, indicating the presence of people bearing the surname Higham in those areas during the Norman Conquest.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Higham can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1176, where a person named Roger de Higham is mentioned. Another early reference is from the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1196, which lists a Willelmus de Higham.

Notable individuals with the surname Higham throughout history include John Higham (c. 1495-1565), an English composer and musician during the Tudor period. Another prominent figure was Sir Clement Higham (1531-1617), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament and Chief Baron of the Exchequer.

In the 17th century, Nathaniel Higham (1629-1708) was an English clergyman and author, best known for his work "A View of the English Antiquities." Ralph Higham (1718-1789) was a prominent English merchant and landowner who served as High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1768.

Moving into the 19th century, Nicholas Higham (1801-1857) was a respected English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Shire Hall in Gloucester and the Towers at Wroxall Abbey.

Throughout its history, the surname Higham has been associated with various place names, such as Higham Hill in Walthamstow, Higham Ferrers in Northamptonshire, and Higham Gobion in Bedfordshire. These locations likely played a role in the spread and evolution of the surname over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Higham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Higham 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. Lancashire leads with 2,048 Highams recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.80x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 2,048 5.80x
Cheshire 145 2.21x
Northamptonshire 126 4.50x
Middlesex 122 0.41x
Kent 121 1.19x
Yorkshire 102 0.35x
Surrey 63 0.43x
Warwickshire 57 0.76x
Nottinghamshire 26 0.65x
Suffolk 26 0.72x
Durham 21 0.24x
Essex 21 0.36x
Sussex 21 0.42x
Derbyshire 20 0.43x
Staffordshire 18 0.18x
Oxfordshire 11 0.60x
Somerset 11 0.23x
Worcestershire 11 0.28x
Devon 9 0.15x
Gloucestershire 9 0.15x
Cumberland 7 0.27x
Norfolk 7 0.15x
Cambridgeshire 6 0.32x
Cornwall 5 0.15x
Leicestershire 5 0.15x
Lincolnshire 5 0.11x
Northumberland 4 0.09x
Shropshire 4 0.16x
Fife 3 0.17x
Hampshire 3 0.05x
Hertfordshire 3 0.15x
Ayrshire 2 0.09x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.11x
Channel Islands 2 0.23x
Royal Navy 2 0.56x
Westmorland 2 0.31x
Dorset 1 0.05x
Isle of Man 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wigan in Lancashire leads with 169 Highams recorded in 1881 and an index of 34.23x.

Place Total Index
Wigan 169 34.23x
Warrington 115 27.46x
Manchester 85 5.35x
Preston 63 6.67x
Chorley 61 30.77x
Blackburn 59 6.28x
Westhoughton 59 62.58x
Ashton Under Lyne 52 6.73x
Stockport 45 13.31x
Great Bolton 43 9.19x
Longton 42 282.83x
West Derby 41 3.97x
Hindley 38 25.23x
Liverpool 38 1.77x
Pendleton In Salford 35 8.32x
Atherton 34 26.44x
Cheadle 33 26.29x
Salford 31 2.98x
Farington 27 131.26x
Gorton 27 8.13x
Leyland 26 42.30x
Aspull 25 30.08x
Everton 25 2.22x
Islington London 25 0.87x
Newton 24 8.81x
Oldham 24 2.10x
Little Bolton 23 5.06x
Croston 22 120.55x
Kensington London 21 1.27x
Barrow In Furness 20 4.16x
Toxteth Park 20 1.67x
Westleigh 20 24.93x
Mawdesley 19 200.21x
Ormskirk 19 28.11x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 19 18.68x
Woodford Cum Membris 19 317.73x
Worsley 19 8.73x
Stretford 18 9.26x
Hulme 17 2.30x
Parr 17 13.45x
Penketh 17 133.65x
Ince In Makerfield 16 9.73x
Sharples 16 41.75x
Ulverston 16 15.55x
Blackrod 15 34.17x
Camberwell 15 0.79x
Farnworth 15 7.09x
Hyde 15 7.73x
Lee 15 10.17x
Pemberton 15 10.65x
Silverstone 15 127.01x
Bury 14 3.47x
Cheetham 14 5.31x
Hayfield 14 48.95x
Walton Le Dale 14 14.75x
Accrington 13 4.05x
Birmingham 13 0.52x
Harpurhey 13 26.51x
Little Hulton 13 22.22x
Middlesbrough 13 3.38x
Standish With Langtree 13 29.88x
Ardwick 12 3.77x
Clayton Le Woods 12 363.64x
Dukinfield 12 3.95x
Eydon 12 262.01x
Faversham 12 12.39x
Kirkdale 12 2.02x
Lambeth 12 0.46x
Middleton In Oldham 12 11.33x
Walthamstow 12 5.67x
Whittle Le Woods 12 102.48x
Wolverhampton 12 1.55x
Charlton Next Woolwich 11 10.38x
Rochester St Margaret 11 10.27x
Saddleworth 11 4.83x
Towcester 11 38.09x
Bramfield 10 156.25x
Chipping Warden 10 247.52x
Crompton 10 9.94x
Daventry 10 25.25x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 223
Elizabeth 152
Sarah 105
Alice 92
Ellen 85
Margaret 79
Ann 72
Jane 70
Martha 57
Annie 36
Emma 22
Hannah 20
Eliza 19
Emily 18
Louisa 18
Harriet 17
Charlotte 16
Esther 16
Fanny 15
Agnes 14
Ada 13
Amelia 12
Catherine 12
Florence 12
Anne 11
Edith 11
Elizth. 11
Ruth 11
Clara 10
Isabella 10
Nancy 10
Rebecca 9
Lucy 8
Maria 8
Rose 8
Betsy 7
Betty 7
Jessie 7
Kate 7
Margt. 7
Bertha 6
Caroline 6
Eleanor 6
Frances 6
Grace 6
Harriett 6
Rachel 6
Susannah 6
Ethel 5
Gertrude 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 208
William 175
James 155
Thomas 149
George 66
Joseph 65
Robert 65
Henry 57
Richard 57
Edward 34
Alfred 30
Charles 30
Samuel 28
Arthur 24
Harry 14
Albert 13
Frank 12
Wm. 12
Frederick 11
Edwin 10
Ernest 10
Herbert 10
Peter 10
David 9
Walter 9
Thos. 7
Fred 6
Roger 6
Daniel 5
Ralph 5
Sydney 5
Willm. 5
Edmund 4
Jonathan 4
Mark 4
Percy 4
Abraham 3
Anthony 3
Arnold 3
Benjamin 3
Eli 3
Hugh 3
Isaac 3
Jas. 3
Job 3
Leonard 3
Moses 3
Robt. 3
Edgar 2
Noah 2

FAQ

Higham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Higham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,062 people were recorded with the Higham surname. That placed it at #1,465 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Higham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,343 in 2016. That gives Higham a modern rank of #1,570.

What does the Higham surname mean?

A locational surname derived from the place name Higham, referring to someone from an estate or hamlet called Higham.

What does the Higham map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Higham 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.