NameCensus.

UK surname

Ohiggins

An Irish surname derived from the name Ó hUiginn meaning "descendant of Uiginn".

In the 1881 census there were 7 people recorded with the Ohiggins surname, ranking it #32,765 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 112, ranked #28,844, up from #32,765 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mid Devon, Kilbarchan and East Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ohiggins is 119 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 1500.0%.

1881 census count

7

Ranked #32,765

Modern count

112

2016, ranked #28,844

Peak year

2000

119 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ohiggins had 7 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #32,765 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 112 in 2016, ranked #28,844.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 13 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Ohiggins surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ohiggins surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ohiggins 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
1861 historical 5 #33,418
1881 historical 7 #32,765
1891 historical 1 #34,674
1901 historical 13 #32,633
1911 historical 13 #32,172
1997 modern 111 #25,394
1998 modern 115 #25,466
1999 modern 112 #26,044
2000 modern 119 #25,072
2001 modern 115 #25,222
2002 modern 114 #25,886
2003 modern 107 #26,617
2004 modern 106 #27,045
2005 modern 112 #26,114
2006 modern 115 #25,969
2007 modern 116 #26,209
2008 modern 111 #27,225
2009 modern 114 #27,363
2010 modern 115 #27,874
2011 modern 108 #28,811
2012 modern 110 #28,514
2013 modern 112 #28,675
2014 modern 112 #28,934
2015 modern 107 #29,708
2016 modern 112 #28,844

Geography

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Where Ohiggins' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mid Devon, Kilbarchan, East Devon, Stockport and Tameside. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mid Devon 008 Mid Devon
2 Kilbarchan Renfrewshire
3 East Devon 013 East Devon
4 Stockport 023 Stockport
5 Tameside 027 Tameside

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ohiggins

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ohiggins

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Ohiggins surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Ohiggins household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Ohiggins is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ohiggins is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Ohiggins falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Ohiggins 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Ohiggins

The surname OHIGGINS is of Irish origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is an anglicized version of the Gaelic surname Ó hUiginn, which means "descendant of Uiginn", a personal name derived from the Old Norse name Hvitingr.

The name OHIGGINS is believed to have originated in County Sligo, Ireland, where it was first recorded in the 16th century. The earliest known spelling of the name was O'Higgin or O'Higgen. The prefix "O" in Irish surnames indicates "descendant of" or "grandson of".

One of the earliest recorded references to the OHIGGINS surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history written in the early 17th century. The name is mentioned in relation to a prominent family from County Sligo.

In the 17th century, the OHIGGINS family was among the Irish Catholics who were dispossessed of their lands during the Cromwellian plantation of Ireland. Some members of the family subsequently emigrated to Spain, where the name became hispanicized as O'Higgins or Higgins.

Ambrose O'Higgins (1720-1801), a merchant and military officer, was born in County Sligo, Ireland, and later settled in Spain. He was the grandfather of Bernardo O'Higgins (1778-1842), a prominent military leader and one of the principal founders of Chilean independence.

Other notable individuals with the surname OHIGGINS include:

1. Ambrose O'Higgins (1754-1835), a Spanish naval officer and the son of Ambrose O'Higgins mentioned above. 2. Michael O'Higgins (1766-1853), an Irish soldier who served in the British Army and fought in the Napoleonic Wars. 3. Kevin O'Higgins (1892-1927), an Irish politician and Vice-President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State. 4. Paddy O'Higgins (1903-1991), an Irish hurler and Gaelic football player who played for Dublin in the 1920s and 1930s. 5. Rory O'Higgins (1947-2011), an Irish actor best known for his roles in television series like Ballykissangel and The Tudors.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ohiggins families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ohiggins 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. Cumberland leads with 5 Ohiggins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 119.62x.

County Total Index
Cumberland 5 119.62x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Seaton in Cumberland leads with 5 Ohiggins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 10000.00x.

Place Total Index
Seaton 5 10000.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 2
Bridget 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Dennis 1
John 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Ohiggins households.

Occupation Count
Lab In Iron Wks 1

FAQ

Ohiggins surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ohiggins surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7 people were recorded with the Ohiggins surname. That placed it at #32,765 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ohiggins surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 112 in 2016. That gives Ohiggins a modern rank of #28,844.

What does the Ohiggins surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the name Ó hUiginn meaning "descendant of Uiginn".

What does the Ohiggins map show?

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