The Higgins surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 79,803 people carried this name — #400 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 3,700 people counted. That is up 2% from 78,107 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Higgins surname

A surname from Irish, from County Sligo.

An anglicised version of Irish Ó hUiginn (“descendant of a Viking”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Higgins» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Richard’.

His entry covers Higgin, Higgins, Higgens, Higgons and Higgon.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 382 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 205 births for the Higgins name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 9,100 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 2 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Connacht 105
Leinster 45
Munster 32
Ulster 23

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 64 people named Higgins live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 44
City of Buenos Aires 20

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

50 people named Higgins live in Switzerland.

They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 16
Vaud 10
Aargau 9
Geneva 8
Bern 4
Fribourg 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 40 people named Higgins.

Most of them — 31 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 31
Paris 4
Nord 2
Bouches-du-Rhône 1
Haute-Garonne 1
Loire-Atlantique 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Poland’s population register

25 people named Higgins have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 102 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 6 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lesser Poland.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Lesser Poland 8
Masovian 7
Lower Silesian 3
Greater Poland 3
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 2
Lubusz 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

121 people named Higgins are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 83
Finland (2026) 38

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Higgins was found among the farmers of 6 counties.

It was most frequent in North Wales: 30 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 333. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

North Wales 30
Buckinghamshire 24
Bedfordshire 15
Northamptonshire 15
Somerset 12
Lancashire 8

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Higgins was recorded 148 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 154th most common name in those registers. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 201. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

234 families named Higgins, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,338 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 9 other spellings. 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

Massachusetts 74
Maine 38
Connecticut 31
New York 20
Maryland 19
Pennsylvania 14
South Carolina 13
Virginia 10
Vermont 7
New Hampshire 4
North Carolina 4

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. 245 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Higgins in American newspapers,
1891–1914.

Newspaper page from Rock Island Argus carrying the name Higgins
Rock Island Argus 1914-01-20
Newspaper page from The Day Book carrying the name Higgins
The Day Book 1914-01-20
Newspaper page from The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo carrying the name Higgins
The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo 1891-12-22

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 429,119 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Higgins in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

194,606 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Higgins. The most, 52,242, date from the 1910s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 58,640
Victoria 48,069
Queensland 28,624
South Australia 25,403
Western Australia 20,679
Tasmania 11,432
ACT (Canberra) 1,208
Northern Territory 257

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

Who carried it

People named Higgins,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Bill Higgins d. 1969 · hurler
  • Elizabeth Vitezy Higgins d. 2008 · artist
  • Joseph T. Higgins d. 1980 · politician
  • Omar Higgins d. 2019 · musician
  • Pedro Higgins d. 1642
  • Thaddeus Higgins d. 1845

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Higgins,
in the records of 8 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 States16,778 records

16,778 records of the Higgins name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 4,820
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 4,404
  • Other U.S. records 7,554
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Edward C. Higgins

    Born 1947; from New York, New York. U.S. Army, wireman; killed in action 1967 in Kontum, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Louise M. Higgins

    Born 1907 in New Jersey. Enlisted 1943 in the Women's Army Corps at Camden; bookkeeper. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Ewing Cemetery Association, Trenton, New Jersey.

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

    Born 1930; from Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, fire direction and liaison operator; declared dead 1951 in South Korea. Buried at Washington Crossing National Cemetery, Pennsylvania.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 16,778 records for Higgins in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).

Australia4,702 records

4,702 records of the Higgins name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,988
  • Tasmanian Names Index 975
  • Other Australian records 1,739
  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 Mary Higgins

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Anna Maria, sailing from London in 1851. Native of Manchester, Lancashire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1857. Married 1857 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 35.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. 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 Mary Higgins

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Maria, sailing from Kingston in 1849. Native of Cork. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. 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 Thomas Higgins

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Jupiter in 1817. Native of Dublin, Dublin. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1855. Married 1855 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 55.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4,702 records for Higgins in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). 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).

Canada1,359 records

1,359 records of the Higgins name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1,162
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 54
  • Other Canadian records 143
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record John Higgins

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Duke of Richmond, bound for Spithead, aged 20.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henry Higgins

    Came to Ontario in 1882 aboard the Sarmatian, landing at Quebec, bound for Milton, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Marguerite E. Higgins

    Buried in 1956 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 40.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 1,359 records for Higgins in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); 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).

United Kingdom197 records

197 records of the Higgins name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 116
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 37
  • Other British records 44
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Higgins

    Died 1961, aged 83; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Higgins

    Buried in 1814 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 53.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Rose Annie Amelia Higgins

    Will proved in 1932; of Blk, Blk.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 197 records for Higgins in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Ireland124 records

124 records of the Higgins name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Higgins

    Died 1955, aged 80; buried at Moylough, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Higgins

    Died 1985, aged 78; buried at Lackagh (Old), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Coilin Higgins

    Died 1992, aged 44; buried at Lettermore Leitir Móir, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 124 records for Higgins in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County 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).

New Zealand81 records

81 records of the Higgins name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 55
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 22
  • Other New Zealand records 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Higgins

    Died 1952, aged 66; buried at Ruru Lawn, 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 William James Higgins

    Died 1904, aged 35; buried at Omaka 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 Terence Higgins

    Buried in 1922 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 68.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 81 records for Higgins in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · 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).

Netherlands12 records

12 records of the Higgins name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 6
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 4
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record John Charles Higgins

    Married in 1939 in Bunnik.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Charlotte Robertson Higgins

    Married in 1946 in Eindhoven.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 12 records for Higgins in the Netherlands.

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).

France6 records

6 records of the Higgins name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marcel Louis Marie Higgins

    Born 1925 in Saint-Nazaire; died 1981 in Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 6 records for Higgins in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Higgins.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Higgins is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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