NameCensus.

UK surname

Huggins

Derived from the medieval personal name "Hugg" or "Hugh," meaning "heart," "mind," or "spirit."

In the 1881 census there were 2,514 people recorded with the Huggins surname, ranking it #1,778 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,673, ranked #1,855, down from #1,778 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 Huntingdonshire, Mid Suffolk and King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Huggins is 3,807 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 46.1%.

1881 census count

2,514

Ranked #1,778

Modern count

3,673

2016, ranked #1,855

Peak year

1998

3,807 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Huggins had 2,514 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,778 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,673 in 2016, ranked #1,855.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,707 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Huggins surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Huggins surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Huggins 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 1,840 #1,567
1861 historical 1,671 #1,713
1881 historical 2,514 #1,778
1891 historical 2,925 #1,607
1901 historical 3,262 #1,707
1911 historical 3,707 #1,402
1997 modern 3,696 #1,753
1998 modern 3,807 #1,773
1999 modern 3,794 #1,790
2000 modern 3,757 #1,792
2001 modern 3,667 #1,798
2002 modern 3,798 #1,785
2003 modern 3,709 #1,789
2004 modern 3,756 #1,764
2005 modern 3,656 #1,786
2006 modern 3,639 #1,795
2007 modern 3,677 #1,790
2008 modern 3,671 #1,806
2009 modern 3,773 #1,807
2010 modern 3,795 #1,835
2011 modern 3,762 #1,826
2012 modern 3,700 #1,821
2013 modern 3,739 #1,838
2014 modern 3,760 #1,840
2015 modern 3,690 #1,853
2016 modern 3,673 #1,855

Geography

Back to top

Where Huggins' are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Huntingdonshire, Mid Suffolk, King's Lynn and West Norfolk and East Hampshire. 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 St John Hackney London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Huntingdonshire 005 Huntingdonshire
2 Mid Suffolk 007 Mid Suffolk
3 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 015 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
4 Mid Suffolk 001 Mid Suffolk
5 East Hampshire 006 East Hampshire

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Huggins

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Huggins

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Huggins, 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 Huggins surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Huggins 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Huggins is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Huggins is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Huggins falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Huggins 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 Huggins, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Huggins

The surname Huggins has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be a patronymic name derived from the Old English personal name "Hugging," which itself is a diminutive form of the name "Hugh." The name Hugh, in turn, comes from the Germanic name "Hugi," meaning "heart, mind, or soul."

Huggins is an anglicized version of the Norman French surname "Huguenin," which was brought to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Huguenin was a diminutive form of the name "Hugues," the French equivalent of the English name "Hugh."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Huggins surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, where a person named William Hugenis is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with the surname Huggins or variations such as Hugyn and Hoggon.

In the 14th century, the Huggins surname appeared in various records across England, including the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, which listed a John Hogon. The Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1381 mentioned a William Hogon, and the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 included a John Huggon.

Notable individuals with the surname Huggins throughout history include:

1. Sir William Huggins (1696-1761), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for Malmesbury from 1727 to 1761. 2. William Huggins (1824-1910), an English astronomer who pioneered the use of spectroscopy in astronomy and was a co-discoverer of the planet Uranus. 3. Margaret Lindsay Huggins (1848-1915), an Irish-English scientific investigator and the wife of William Huggins, who made significant contributions to the field of astrophysics. 4. Samuel Huggins (1811-1885), an English architect known for his designs of several churches and other buildings in Worcestershire. 5. David Huggins (born 1962), an American painter and alleged alien abductee, known for his paintings depicting his claimed encounters with extraterrestrials.

The surname Huggins has also been associated with various place names, such as Huggins Farm in Wiltshire and Huggins Mill in Virginia, USA, which may have derived their names from individuals bearing the Huggins surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Huggins families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Huggins 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 521 Huggins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.12x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 521 2.12x
Norfolk 297 7.86x
Berkshire 200 10.84x
Surrey 167 1.39x
Kent 152 1.81x
Gloucestershire 138 2.86x
Yorkshire 136 0.56x
Devon 94 1.84x
Suffolk 83 2.77x
Lancashire 63 0.22x
Sussex 58 1.40x
Wiltshire 55 2.53x
Cambridgeshire 49 3.15x
Warwickshire 46 0.74x
Lincolnshire 45 1.14x
Somerset 45 1.14x
Oxfordshire 44 2.90x
Durham 42 0.57x
Huntingdonshire 30 6.15x
Cumberland 25 1.18x
Staffordshire 20 0.24x
Cornwall 19 0.68x
Worcestershire 17 0.53x
Hampshire 16 0.32x
Hertfordshire 15 0.89x
Monmouthshire 15 0.84x
Angus 13 0.57x
Derbyshire 12 0.31x
Leicestershire 12 0.44x
Cheshire 10 0.18x
Glamorgan 10 0.23x
Buckinghamshire 9 0.61x
Brecknockshire 8 1.63x
Essex 8 0.16x
Westmorland 7 1.30x
Pembrokeshire 6 0.77x
Herefordshire 5 0.50x
Northumberland 5 0.14x
Dumfriesshire 4 0.74x
Royal Navy 4 1.37x
Dorset 3 0.19x
Lanarkshire 3 0.04x
Channel Islands 2 0.27x
East Lothian 2 0.61x
Rutland 2 1.11x
Northamptonshire 1 0.04x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.03x
Renfrewshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 60 Huggins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.52x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 60 2.52x
Hackney London 49 3.56x
Lambeth 45 2.10x
Kensington London 40 2.93x
Reading St Giles 38 20.99x
Bethnal Green London 35 3.28x
St Pancras London 35 1.77x
Melbourn 28 184.57x
Hornsey 25 8.04x
Malmesbury St Paul 25 133.69x
Shoreditch London 25 2.35x
Hawkhurst 23 88.22x
Steventon 23 295.63x
Hastings St Leonards 22 36.11x
St Marylebone London 22 1.68x
Tottenham 22 5.62x
Camberwell 21 1.34x
Leeds 21 1.53x
Warboys 21 148.94x
Aston 20 1.17x
Bradford 20 3.39x
Gissing 20 522.19x
Bermondsey 19 2.60x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 19 21.54x
Hoxne 19 223.79x
Mile End Old Town London 19 3.63x
Birmingham 17 0.82x
Milton 17 492.75x
North Lopham 17 288.62x
Reading St Mary 17 11.50x
Botesdale 16 344.83x
Brenchley 16 53.32x
Hampstead London 16 4.18x
Lyncombe Widcombe 16 15.44x
Paddington London 16 1.77x
Shobrooke 15 277.26x
Gillingham 14 8.10x
Wisbech St Peter 14 17.93x
Hammersmith London 13 2.15x
Harborne 13 4.89x
Newington 13 1.43x
Norwich St John Sepulchre 13 53.00x
Tanfield 13 14.95x
Thetford St Cuthbert 13 95.10x
Whitechapel London 13 5.37x
Bristol St James In 12 16.93x
Bristol St James St Paul 12 7.46x
Heigham 12 5.92x
Hempton 12 251.05x
Lidford 12 52.22x
Liff Benvie 12 3.47x
Limehouse London 12 4.45x
Mulbarton 12 275.23x
Great Yarmouth 11 3.51x
Hurst 11 45.55x
Oxford St Giles 11 15.19x
St George Bloomsbury 11 7.80x
Thetford St Mary 11 106.90x
Fakenham 10 53.73x
Gorleston 10 13.15x
Aylesford 9 38.73x
Beddington 9 19.43x
Calstock 9 16.49x
Deptford St Paul 9 1.39x
Earley 9 29.28x
Ewell 9 35.59x
Leake 9 49.97x
Mendlesham 9 95.04x
Middleton 9 121.62x
Norwich St Peter Southgate 9 189.47x
Selby 9 17.68x
Batley 8 3.46x
Bradwell 8 170.94x
Drayton 8 152.96x
East Clandon 8 343.35x
Kidlington 8 68.09x
Lamberhurst 8 76.63x
Milton In Gravesend 8 6.36x
Sledmere Cum Croom 8 188.68x
Tavistock 8 13.72x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 147
Elizabeth 94
Sarah 69
Ellen 52
Eliza 49
Emma 49
Jane 41
Ann 39
Alice 33
Emily 32
Annie 31
Harriet 26
Martha 23
Hannah 22
Ada 19
Florence 18
Louisa 18
Caroline 17
Maria 17
Anne 16
Margaret 16
Agnes 15
Edith 13
Fanny 12
Catherine 11
Jessie 11
Kate 11
Lucy 11
Amelia 10
Charlotte 10
Clara 10
Susan 10
Rose 9
Sophia 9
Gertrude 8
Matilda 8
Rebecca 8
Frances 7
Isabella 7
Julia 7
Maud 7
Minnie 7
Anna 6
Lydia 6
Betsy 5
Flora 5
Harriett 5
Laura 5
Mabel 5
Selina 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 145
John 126
George 87
Charles 70
James 70
Thomas 66
Henry 65
Edward 38
Robert 35
Arthur 33
Albert 29
Joseph 28
Alfred 25
Frederick 23
Harry 22
Samuel 21
Richard 16
Frank 15
Walter 15
Edwin 13
Francis 11
Herbert 11
Ernest 10
David 9
Isaac 6
Sidney 6
Wm. 6
Fred 5
Amos 4
Benjamin 4
Jacob 4
Philip 4
Willm. 4
Abraham 3
Ambrose 3
Chas. 3
Daniel 3
Fredk. 3
Fredrick 3
Harold 3
Jesse 3
Oliver 3
Percy 3
Roger 3
Fred. 2
Jno. 2
Leslie 2
Martin 2
Noble 2
Richd. 2

FAQ

Huggins surname: questions and answers

How common was the Huggins surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,514 people were recorded with the Huggins surname. That placed it at #1,778 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Huggins surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,673 in 2016. That gives Huggins a modern rank of #1,855.

What does the Huggins surname mean?

Derived from the medieval personal name "Hugg" or "Hugh," meaning "heart," "mind," or "spirit."

What does the Huggins map show?

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