Show ContentsHigginbottom History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Higginbottom is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived at Higginbottom in the neighbourhood of Marple and Macclesfield, in East Cheshire. 1

Another source postulates that Oakenbottom in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire was the the original homestead of the family and that it was "probably influenced by the dialect word hickin or higgin, the mountain ash." 2

Early Origins of the Higginbottom family

The surname Higginbottom was first found in Lancashire where Alexander de Akinbothun was recorded in the Assize Rolls for 1246. 2

As a very rare name, the next entry for the family was over 300 hundred years later in the Prestbury Church, Cheshire where John Hyggynbothom was listed in 1563. The source Earwaker's East Cheshire included an entry for Nicholas Hichinbothome, of Marple gentleman in 1579 and the Lancashire, and Cheshire Record Society notes Alice Higginbotham, of Marple, 1595. 1

Early History of the Higginbottom family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Higginbottom research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1762 and 1844 are included under the topic Early Higginbottom History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Higginbottom Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Higginbottom family name include Higginbottom, Higginbotham, Hickenbottom, Hickinbottom, Higgenbottom, Higginbothem, Higinbotham, Higinbothem and many more.

Early Notables of the Higginbottom family

Notables of the family at this time include Abel Joshua Higginbotham, English stowaway who was ejected from a ship at Madras port after he was discovered on board. After a brief internship working as a librarian for a Weslyan Book...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Higginbottom Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Higginbottom migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Higginbottom surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Higginbottom Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Higginbottom, who landed in Virginia in 1657 3
Higginbottom Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Richard Higginbottom, who settled in Virginia in 1726
  • Thomas Higginbottom, who settled in New England in 1774
Higginbottom Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Higginbottom, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1871 3
Higginbottom Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Robert Higginbottom, aged 25, who arrived in New York City, New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Toronto" from Hull, England 4
  • Thomas Higginbottom, aged 18, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Olympic" from Liverpool, England 4

Canada Higginbottom migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Higginbottom Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • James Higginbottom, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
  • Robert Higginbottom, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
  • Catherine Higginbottom, aged 22, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833

Australia Higginbottom migration to Australia +

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

Higginbottom Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Michael Higginbottom, British Convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Higginbottom (post 1700) +

  • Heather A. Higginbottom (b. 1972), American politician, Deputy Director of the federal Office of Management and Budget (2011)
  • Frank William Higginbottom (1912-1981), American politician, Mayor of Winfield, Kansas, 1957-58 6
  • David B. Higginbottom, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Florida 10th District, 1986, 1988 6
  • Clarence Charles Higginbottom (1897-1977), American politician, Mayor of Winfield, Kansas, 1947 6
  • Sam Higginbottom (1874-1958), English-born Christian missionary in Allahabad, India
  • Edward Higginbottom, English Conductor of the Choir of New College Oxford
  • Jake Higginbottom, Australian golfer, winner of the Riversdale Cup (2012)
  • Frederick James Higginbottom (1859-1943), British journalist and newspaper editor
  • Susan Higginbottom Ph.D., Canadian psychologist
  • Samuel Higginbottom, former President of Rolls Royce

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Ernest Higginbottom, British Stoker 2ne Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 7
RMS Lusitania
  • Miss Mary Polly Higginbottom, English 2nd Class passenger residing in Fall River, Massachusetts, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 8


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. 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)
  4. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  8. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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