The Wiggs surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,608 people carried this name — #9,058 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 82,000 people counted. That is down 2% from 3,683 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Wiggs surname

As an English and Welsh surname

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

An early record he cites: Robert Wygge, Kent, 1291–92 (20 Edward I) — Placita de Quo Warranto.

His entry covers Wigg, Wiggs and Wigson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 811 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

17 families named Wiggs, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 105 people lived in those households, 6.2 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

North Carolina 10
Pennsylvania 2
Virginia 2
South Carolina 2
New York 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. 268 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Wiggs in American newspapers,
1903–1918.

Newspaper page from The County Record carrying the name Wiggs
The County Record 1911-02-23
Newspaper page from Harrisburg Telegraph carrying the name Wiggs
Harrisburg Telegraph 1918-04-02
Newspaper page from Baptist Courier carrying the name Wiggs
Baptist Courier 1903-12-03

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

In print

Wiggs in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1970s.

12,557 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Wiggs. The most, 3,347, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 2.2 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,931
Western Australia 2,753
Victoria 2,673
Queensland 1,868
South Australia 1,738
Tasmania 552
ACT (Canberra) 10
Northern Territory 8

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

Who carried it

People named Wiggs,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Jimmy Wiggs
    Jimmy Wiggs 1876–1963 · baseball player
  • Johnny Wiggs
    Johnny Wiggs 1899–1977 · composer
  • Hubert Wiggs 1893–1977 · American football coach
  • Henry Ross Wiggs 1895–1986 · architect
  • Johnny Wiggs 1899–1977 · composer
  • Mike Wiggs 1938–2011 · athletics competitor

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 Wiggs,
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 States209 records

209 records of the Wiggs name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 118
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 58
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 23
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 6
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 3
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Wilton C. Wiggs

    Born 1924 in Arkansas. Enlisted 1943 at Seattle, Washington; aircraft mechanic. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1989, buried at Little Rock National Cemetery, Arkansas.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Majestic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 25; mechanic. From Halifax, England; bound for Chicago.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Brown E. Wiggs

    U.S. Army veteran. Born 1897, died 1959; buried at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Kentucky.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 209 records for Wiggs 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. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia50 records

50 records of the Wiggs name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 22
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 17
  • Tasmanian Names Index 7
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 4
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James Wiggs

    Died 1876 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 50. Will registered in Tasmania in 1876.

    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 William Wiggs

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Randolph, arriving 1849; certificate of freedom 1855.

    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 George Wiggs

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Earl of Charlemont, aged 6; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 50 records for Wiggs 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: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (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).

New Zealand8 records

8 records of the Wiggs name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Theophilus Charles Wiggs

    Died 1970, aged 83; 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 Nancy Joan Wiggs

    Died 1990, aged 69; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alison Jean Winifred Wiggs

    Died 1980, aged 76; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Wiggs in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City 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 Kingdom6 records

6 records of the Wiggs 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 H. Wiggs

    Highland Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (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 A. H. Wiggs

    London Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    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 R. J. Wiggs

    Machine Gun Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 6 records for Wiggs in the United Kingdom.

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).

Canada2 records

2 records of the Wiggs name in Canada Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Percy James Wiggs

    Died 1956; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Elizabeth Ryder Wiggs

    Died 1974; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

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

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Wiggs.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Wiggs 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 Wiggs volume
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