What is the origin of the surname 'Wiggins'.?

Question

I was always told it was irish, but more recently I heard it actually English. Can someone give me any more information about the name?

Answer 1

The name was first found in 1026 in Cambridgeshire.

English: patronymic from the personal name Wiggin.

From the Breton personal name Wiucon, composed of elements meaning ‘worthy’ + ‘high’, ‘noble’, which was introduced into England by followers of William the Conqueror.

from the Germanic personal name Wigant, originally a byname meaning ‘warrior’, from the present participle of wigan ‘to fight’, likewise introduced to England in the wake of the Conquest.

    The Wiggins' immigrants that came to America : 83 from Ireland, 72 from England, 21 from Great Britain, 13 from Scotland, 4 from Canada, and 1 from Germany. The first Wiggins that came over to America was Thomas Wiggins who came over in 1630 to New England.

   In 1920, most Wiggins families lived in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and New York.

   747 Wiggins served in the civil war, 362 in the Union army, and 385 in the Confederate Army.

Hope this helped!

p.s. There are many English and Scottish names in Ireland, from immigration. So your family could have very well been Irish, but moved there from England in the middle ages, not to mention the numerous marriages that could have happened with Irish people.

Answer 2

English

Answer 3

I believe its from Somerset

Answer 4

If you follow this link: http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk/Sur... it will show you how the surname was distributed in 1881 and 1998. I have searched it, and they say it is an English surname, typically meaning the name of a parent, followed by "s" to suggest belonging or kinship. In 1881 it seems to have been spread mainly in the Midlands. Perhaps this will help you.

Also, if you click here, it should give you more details about the Wiggins history: http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk/Sta...

Answer 5

sounds english to me, i'm scottish. sorry, no info.

Answer 6

This is what www.ancestry.com has to say about the name,

Wiggins Name Meaning and History

English: patronymic from the personal name Wiggin.

hope this helps.

Answer 7

Wiggins is a name that originally was Wigan.  Check the history of Wales. The only ferry crossing the Mississippi at St.Louis before bridges were built there was owned and operated by a Mr. Wiggins. Therefore, most pioneers headed West to settle the country crossed on Mr. Wiggins Ferry. One of the first settlers that was involved in establishing the City of Denver, Colorado was a Mr. Wiggins. He was the guide for many Wagon Trains that passed through the area. North Carolina is full of Wiggins Families.  They were amongst the first people to settle the area and moved south into that area from Virginia.

Answer 8

England