NameCensus.

UK surname

Quigg

An anglicised form of the Irish surname Ó Cuirc, meaning "descendant of Corc".

In the 1881 census there were 59 people recorded with the Quigg surname, ranking it #25,281 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 428, ranked #11,234, up from #25,281 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rutherglen, Govan Combination and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Greenock Upper Central, Port Glasgow Mid, East and Central and Greenock Town Centre and East Central.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Quigg is 429 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 625.4%.

1881 census count

59

Ranked #25,281

Modern count

428

2016, ranked #11,234

Peak year

2015

429 bearers

Map years

4

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Quigg had 59 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #25,281 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 428 in 2016, ranked #11,234.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 152 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Quigg surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Quigg surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Quigg 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 7 #32,070
1861 historical 17 #31,714
1881 historical 59 #25,281
1891 historical 74 #27,538
1901 historical 152 #17,916
1911 historical 38 #29,147
1997 modern 373 #11,600
1998 modern 382 #11,779
1999 modern 372 #12,076
2000 modern 378 #11,882
2001 modern 368 #11,952
2002 modern 399 #11,460
2003 modern 386 #11,544
2004 modern 397 #11,345
2005 modern 398 #11,231
2006 modern 387 #11,514
2007 modern 402 #11,338
2008 modern 387 #11,767
2009 modern 403 #11,659
2010 modern 404 #11,902
2011 modern 400 #11,865
2012 modern 415 #11,403
2013 modern 415 #11,604
2014 modern 418 #11,614
2015 modern 429 #11,252
2016 modern 428 #11,234

Geography

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Where Quiggs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rutherglen, Govan Combination, Glasgow, Paisley Abbey and Stockton-on-Tees (Stockton-on-Tees), Stainton (Thornaby ), Norton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Greenock Upper Central, Port Glasgow Mid, East and Central, Greenock Town Centre and East Central, Greenock West and Central and Paisley Ferguslie. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Rutherglen Lanark
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Paisley Abbey Renfrew
5 Stockton-on-Tees (Stockton-on-Tees), Stainton (Thornaby ), Norton Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Greenock Upper Central Inverclyde
2 Port Glasgow Mid, East and Central Inverclyde
3 Greenock Town Centre and East Central Inverclyde
4 Greenock West and Central Inverclyde
5 Paisley Ferguslie Renfrewshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Quigg

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Quigg

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Quigg, 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 Quigg surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Quigg 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, Quigg 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

Quigg is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Quigg 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 Quigg 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 Quigg, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Quigg

The surname Quigg originated from the Gaelic word 'cuige' meaning a province or territory. It first emerged in Ireland during the Middle Ages and was used as a descriptive name for a family or clan that controlled a particular territory or province. The earliest known spelling of the name was Cuigg, which later evolved into Quigg.

The name appears in several historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the Census of Ireland in 1659. It was primarily found in counties Antrim, Down, and Armagh, indicating that the Quigg family likely had roots in the northern part of Ireland.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Quigg was John Quigg, who was born in County Antrim in the late 16th century. He was a landowner and member of the Irish gentry. Another notable figure was Robert Quigg, a soldier who fought in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, during the Williamite War in Ireland.

In the 18th century, the Quigg surname began to spread beyond Ireland as many families emigrated to other parts of the British Isles and North America. One of the earliest recorded Quiggs in America was William Quigg, who was born in County Armagh in 1745 and later settled in Pennsylvania.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Quigg. These include:

1. James Quigg (1835-1904), an American politician and judge from Pennsylvania. 2. Edmund Quigg (1808-1888), an Irish-born American surveyor and engineer who played a key role in developing the Erie Canal. 3. Michael Quigg (1868-1935), an Irish politician and member of the British Parliament. 4. Henry Quigg (1857-1938), a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist. 5. John Quigg (1870-1944), an Irish-born American baseball player who played for the St. Louis Browns in the 1890s.

While the Quigg surname is not as common as some other Irish names, it has a long and rich history that can be traced back to the medieval period in Ireland. The name is a reflection of the family's ancestral ties to a particular territory or province, and it has been carried forward by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Quigg families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Quigg 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. Lanarkshire leads with 23 Quiggs recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.15x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 23 12.15x
Renfrewshire 11 24.26x
Lancashire 10 1.44x
Durham 9 5.17x
Dorset 3 7.81x
Dunbartonshire 1 6.36x
Sussex 1 1.01x
Yorkshire 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Glasgow in Lanarkshire leads with 14 Quiggs recorded in 1881 and an index of 41.67x.

Place Total Index
Glasgow 14 41.67x
Litherland 10 689.66x
Stockton On Tees 8 95.35x
Houston Killallan 6 1363.64x
Rutherglen 5 179.86x
Barony 4 8.35x
Eastwood 4 143.37x
Melcombe Regis 3 188.68x
Bolton By Bowland 1 714.29x
Hastings Holy Trinity 1 136.99x
Kirkintilloch 1 46.73x
Stranton 1 17.06x
West Greenock 1 12.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Catherine 2
Emma 2
Annie 1
Elizabeth 1
Francis 1
Harriet 1
Martha 1
Mary 1
Rachel 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 4
Patrick 2
Barney 1
Charles 1
Daniel 1
E.F. 1
Edward 1
James 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 Quigg households.

FAQ

Quigg surname: questions and answers

How common was the Quigg surname in 1881?

In 1881, 59 people were recorded with the Quigg surname. That placed it at #25,281 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Quigg surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 428 in 2016. That gives Quigg a modern rank of #11,234.

What does the Quigg surname mean?

An anglicised form of the Irish surname Ó Cuirc, meaning "descendant of Corc".

What does the Quigg map show?

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