The High surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 13,961 people carried this name — #2,585 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 21,100 people counted. That is up 5% from 13,236 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the High surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the high’.

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

In the first U.S. census, 1790

50 families named High, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 317 people lived in those households, 6.3 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 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

Pennsylvania 29
North Carolina 9
Massachusetts 3
Rhode Island 3
New York 2
Maryland 2
Virginia 1
South Carolina 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. 245 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

High in American newspapers,
1917–1922.

Newspaper page from The Powder River County Examiner And The Broadus Independent carrying the name High
The Powder River County Examiner And The Broadus Independent 1922-03-31
Newspaper page from The Tupelo Journal carrying the name High
The Tupelo Journal 1917-04-27
Newspaper page from Great Falls Daily Tribune carrying the name High
Great Falls Daily Tribune 1920-10-02

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,451 pages in all carry the name.

In print

High in Australian newspapers,
1800s–2000s.

63,076 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss High. The most, 9,217, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 23,120
New South Wales 19,316
Queensland 8,486
Western Australia 4,806
South Australia 3,883
Tasmania 2,558
ACT (Canberra) 688
Northern Territory 87

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

Who carried it

People named High,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James L. High
    James L. High 1844–1898 · writer
  • Augustus High
    Augustus High 1844–1927 · politician
  • William High
    William High 1857–1934 · politician
  • William High
    William High 1857–1934 · politician
  • Hugh High
    Hugh High 1887–1962 · baseball player
  • Thomas High 1647–1687 · writer

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 High,
in the records of 5 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 States785 records

785 records of the High name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 455
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 166
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 48
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 42
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 36
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 25
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 7
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Larry James High

    Born 1945; from Hoboken, New Jersey. U.S. Marine Corps, shore party specialist; died in an accident 1967 in Thua Thien, 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 Ruth I. High

    Born 1898 in Massachusetts. Enlisted 1943 in the Women's Army Corps at Boston; office machine operator. U.S. Army veteran; died 1957, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Easter High

    Arrived at New York in 1861 aboard the Calhoun from Liverpool, aged 45; weaver. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 785 records for High in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · 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: 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia107 records

107 records of the High name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 49
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 30
  • Tasmanian Names Index 11
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 9
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 7
  • Canberra cemetery and marriage records 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Mary Ann High

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1844. Married 1844 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    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 Henry the younger High

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Mangles, arriving 1824; ticket of leave 1833. Native of Norfolk.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sarah High

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Calphurnia, aged 32; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 107 records for High in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada17 records

17 records of the High name in Canada
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 5
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 4
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 1
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henry High

    Came to Ontario in 1875 aboard the Sardinian, landing at Portland, bound for New Market, Ontario; English.

    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 Esther High

    Buried in 1974 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 51.

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

    Died in service in 1917.

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

Showing 3 of 17 records for High in Canada.

Counts: Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · 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. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. 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).

United Kingdom10 records

10 records of the High name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 7
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 3
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Robert D. High

    Died 1918. Named in the roll of honour (1926).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record D. High

    Royal Irish Rifles. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record S. J. High

    Norfolk Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

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

Showing 3 of 10 records for High in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (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 High name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Frederik Wilhelm High

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1860 in Amst.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to High.

When the index is not enough

This page says where High 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.

See the High volume
Scroll to Top