The Bigham surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,525 people carried this name — #6,193 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 53,500 people counted. That is up 1% from 5,473 in 2000.

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In the first U.S. census, 1790

31 families named Bigham, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 186 people lived in those households, 6 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Bigham, Bigam, Biggam, Bigem, Biggem, Bighams. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 15
North Carolina 11
New York 2
South Carolina 2
Virginia 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 229 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Bigham in American newspapers,
1922–1926.

Newspaper page from East St. Louis Daily Journal carrying the name Bigham
East St. Louis Daily Journal 1924-06-27
Newspaper page from East St. Louis Daily Journal carrying the name Bigham
East St. Louis Daily Journal 1926-03-05
Newspaper page from Brownsville Herald carrying the name Bigham
Brownsville Herald 1922-11-19

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Bigham in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1960s.

2,540 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bigham. The most, 891, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in South Australia, at 4.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 1,342
New South Wales 401
Victoria 285
Queensland 217
Western Australia 201
Tasmania 89
ACT (Canberra) 3
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bigham.

Who carried it

People named Bigham,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas J. Bigham
    Thomas J. Bigham 1810–1884 · politician
  • John Bigham, 1st Viscount Mersey
    John Bigham, 1st Viscount Mersey 1840–1929 · judge
  • John Bigham, 1st Viscount Mersey
    John Bigham, 1st Viscount Mersey 1840–1929 · judge
  • June Diana Fortescue d. 2015
  • Helen East d. 1904
  • Helen Numan d. 1914

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Bigham,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States356 records

356 records of the Bigham name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 198
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 76
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 19
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 19
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 16
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 14
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 11
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Hughey W. Bigham

    Born 1915 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1941 at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia; garment worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II and the Vietnam War; died 2001, buried at Medium Cemetery, Lewisburg, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Theodore Lewis Bigham

    Born 1948; from Salt Lake City, Utah. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Elizth Bigham

    Arrived at New York in 1849 aboard the Napoleon from Belfast, aged 40; laborer. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 356 records for Bigham in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia29 records

29 records of the Bigham name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 13
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 11
  • Tasmanian Names Index 3
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 2
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Bigham

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Recovery, arriving 1823; ticket of leave 1833.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record David Melville S. Bigham

    Cafe proprietor of Casterton, Victoria; died 1971.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henry Bigham

    Arrived in Victoria in 1863 aboard the Morning Light, aged 20.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 29 records for Bigham in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada20 records

20 records of the Bigham name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 8
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 7
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 3
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sam'l Bigham

    Came to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Manitoban, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; Ireland.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mark David Bigham

    Died 1958; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Willis Bigham

    Died in service in 1918.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 20 records for Bigham in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

New Zealand7 records

7 records of the Bigham name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 5
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edith Bigham

    Died 1970, aged 87; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Barbara Ness Bigham

    Died 1987, aged 83; buried at Seddon Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jack Lancelot Bigham

    Died 1976; buried at Oxford Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Bigham in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Bigham name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record G. Bigham

    Royal Scots. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Bigham name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Wiliam Bigham

    Married in 1679 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Breda (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Bigham.

When the index is not enough

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