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Diggins History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Diggins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Diggins is a name that came to England in the 11th century wave of migration that was set off by the Norman Conquest of 1066. Diggins comes from the Norman baptismal name which means the son of Diccon, which is a diminution of the parent name, Richard. 1

Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames. Most of the early appearances of the name were found in the French form Dicon, which lingered until the 16th century.

Early Origins of the Diggins family

The surname Diggins was first found in Staffordshire where one of the first listings of the name was Richard Dicum who listed in the Assize Rolls there in 1203. The Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire list John Dycon in 1327. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 lists: Richard Digon in London; Roger Digun; and Alice Dikun while the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists: Alicia Dycon, mayden; Ricardus Dicon; and Willwlmus Diconson. 1

The reader should pay special attention to the term "mayden" in the last entry as while the modern spelling is obviously "maiden," we must realize that as it was noted in the rolls, Alicia Dycon was a woman who held lands and was a person of distinction; a feat rarely seen in the 13th century! Today most of the spellings of the surname are usually seen appended with "s."

Early History of the Diggins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Diggins research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1770, 1787, 1793, 1812, 1816, 1870 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Diggins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Diggins Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Diggins were recorded, including Dickens, Dickins, Diggons, Diggens, Diggins, Dikens, Digons, Diquon and many more.

Early Notables of the Diggins family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870), popular English novelist, buried in Westminster Abbey.Mrs Dickons, daughter of a gentleman named Poole, was born in London about 1770. Her musical talent was early developed. She became a pupil of Rauzzini, and in 1787 appeared at Vauxhall Gardens as a singer. Her progress was rapid, and she became engaged at the Concert of Ancient Music and other concerts. On Oct...
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Diggins Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Diggins Ranking

In the United States, the name Diggins is the 8,950^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Diggins family to Ireland

Some of the Diggins family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Diggins migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Diggins arrived in North America very early:

Diggins Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Roger Diggins, who arrived in Maryland in 1662 4

Diggins Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Charles Diggins, who landed in Virginia in 1715 4

Diggins migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Diggins Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Ann Diggins, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Joseph Diggins, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 29th April 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
George Diggins, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Dorothy" in 1849 7
William Diggins, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Boyne" in 1850 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Diggins (post 1700) +

Jessica Diggins (b. 1991), American bronze medalist cross-country skier at the 2022 Winter Olympics, she co-won the United States' first ever cross-country skiing gold medal at the Winter Olympics in women's team sprint in 2018
Bartholomew Diggins (1844-1917), Irish-born, United States Navy sailor and recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions in the American Civil War
Skylar Kierra Diggins (b. 1990), American four-time gold medalist WNBA basketball player
W. Diggins, American politician, Member of Illinois State House of Representatives 54th District, 1855-57 9
Paul F. Diggins Jr., American Republican politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Queens County 5th District, 1954 9
Orson C. Diggins, American politician, Member of Illinois State House of Representatives 8th District, 1881-83 9
Fred A. Diggins (1862-1914), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1892, 1912; Mayor of Cadillac, Michigan, 1892-94, 1896-1900 9
Brighton Diggins (1906-1971), Australian rules footballer

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The DOROTHY 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Dorothy.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The barque BOYNE 1850, 521 tons. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Boyne.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html