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Haigh History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Haigh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The distinguished and ancient surname Haigh is Old English in origin, and traces its history back to the Middle Ages, when the island of Britain was inhabited by the Anglo-Saxons. The name is derived from the Old English "haga" or the Old Norse "hagi," which both mean "dweller by the haw." It is likely that the name was first borne by someone who lived near a hedged field or enclosure. Although now the name is pronounced as a single syllable, it was originally pronounced as two, as can be seen from the spelling “Hag-he”. Most likely, the second syllable was a hard “g” sound; the name was probably pronounced “hah-geh”.

Early Origins of the Haigh family

The surname Haigh was first found in Yorkshire, where Jollan de Hagh was recorded in 1229. The Scottish branch lived in Bemersyde for many centuries after their arrival in Scotland.

Early History of the Haigh family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Haigh research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1800, 1861, 1921 and 1928 are included under the topic Early Haigh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Haigh Spelling Variations

During the era when a person's name, tribe and posterity was one of his most important possessions, many different spellings were found in the archives examined. Haigh occurred in many references, and spelling variations of the name found included Haig, Haigh, Hague, Hait, Haight, Hate, Haga and others.

Early Notables of the Haigh family

More information is included under the topic Early Haigh Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Haigh Ranking

In the United States, the name Haigh is the 8,135^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Haigh is ranked the 687^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,684 people with that name. 2

Haigh migration to the United States +

Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of illness and the elements, were buried at sea. In North America, early immigrants bearing the family name Haigh, or a spelling variation of the surname include:

Haigh Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Abraham Haigh, aged 28, who landed in New Jersey in 1812 3
Samuel Haigh, aged 40, who landed in Maryland in 1812 3
Amos, Benjamin, Charles, Fred, John, Joseph, Samuel Haigh, who arrived in Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1860
Mr. Thomas Haigh, aged 16, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
David Haigh, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 3

Haigh migration to Australia +

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

Haigh Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mary Haigh, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on December 14, 1835, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 4
Mr. Samuel Haigh, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Blundell" on 13th March 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Frederick Haigh, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Duke of Bedford" in 1848 6
John Haigh, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Caroline" in 1849 7
Allen Haigh, aged 24, a whiter, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Dirigo" 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Haigh migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Haigh Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Haigh, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
George Haigh, aged 33, a gardener, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
Elizabeth Haigh, aged 35, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
Abraham Haigh, aged 9, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
George Haigh, aged 7, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Haigh (post 1700) +

Edward E. Haigh (1867-1953), American 19th century Major League Baseball outfielder
Nancy Haigh, American set designer who has received five Academy Award nominations
Jennifer Haigh, American novelist and short story writer
William Haigh, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Huddersfield, 1863, 1868-70 9
Walter F. Haigh, American politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Salem, 1948; Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Salem, 1956 9
Rowe W. Haigh, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Michigan 17th District, 1932 9
Jane G. Haigh (b. 1951), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Alaska State Senate District P, 1998; Candidate for Alaska State House of Representatives 32nd District, 2000 9
Henry Allyn Haigh (1854-1942), American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1892; Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1896 9
Daniel Henry Haigh (1819-1879), noted English Victorian scholar of Anglo-Saxon history and literature, son of George Haigh, calico printer, born at Brinscall Hall, near Chorley, Lancashire, on 7 Aug. 1819 10
George Haigh (1915-2019), English professional footballer and manager who lived to be 103 years old
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Haigh family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Samuel Ernest Haigh, British Assistant Steward from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 11

HMS Royal Oak

Stanley W. Haigh, British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 12

RMS Lusitania

Mr. James Harold Haigh, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 13

The Haigh Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Sola Virtus Invicta
Motto Translation: Virtue alone is invincible

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1835 with 132 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1835
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blundell
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DUKE OF BEDFORD 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848DukeofBedford.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The CAROLINE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Caroline.htm
South Australian Register Thursday 23rd November 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Dirigo 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/dirigo1854.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/