Contents [hide]

Pigott History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Pigott History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Pigott is an ancient name whose history on English soil dates back to the wave of emigration that followed the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The name comes from the Old English given name Picot or Pigot. The surname Pigott was originally derived from the Old English word pic, meaning a hill with a sharp point at its top, and would originally have indicated that its bearer lived near such a landmark.

"Picot was a personal name is clear, for Picot, a chief tenant in Hampshire, and Picot de Grentebrig', both occur in Domesday [Book]. It is curious, too, to observe that two families in Cheshire, the Pigots and Pichots, ran side by side for some generations, and Dr. Ormerod long ago surmised that both sprang from one common ancestor - Gilbert Pichot, Lord of Broxton." 1

Another source notes that "the name of Pickett may be a corruption of Pickard, though we must remember that there is an estate of this name in the parish of South Perrott, Dorset." 2

Early Origins of the Pigott family

The surname Pigott was first found in Cheshire and Cambridgeshire where Picot of Cambridge (c.1022-1090), born in Saye, Normandy, was a Norman landowner and rose to become Sheriff of Cambridgeshire (c. 1071-1090.) His son Robert, became implicated in a conspiracy against King Henry I, fled the country and the family estates were forfeit. 3 "Pygot occurs in Leland's supposed copy of the Roll of Battle Abbey." 4

The Lincolnshire Survey listed Picotus de Laceles, temp. 1109 and later the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Picot de Flexbergh, Wiltshire; Elis Pyket, Buckinghamshire; and Walter Pycot, Cambridgeshire. 1

Another reference claims "the family originally came from Cheshire; William Pigott of Butley in the parish of Prestbury in that county, who died in 1376, was grandfather of Richard Pigott of Butley who married the heiress of Peshall." 5

Early History of the Pigott family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pigott research. Another 208 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1109, 1210, 1333, 1630, 1640, 1645, 1657, 1686, 1697, 1713, 1716, 1719, 1720, 1734, 1777 and 1796 are included under the topic Early Pigott History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pigott Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Pigott, Piggot, Piggett, Piggott, Piggot, Pigot, Picot and many more.

Early Notables of the Pigott family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Thomas Pigot (Pigott, Piggott) (1657-1686), an English cleric, academic and Fellow of the Royal Society

Pigott Ranking

In the United States, the name Pigott is the 12,750^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Pigott family to Ireland

Some of the Pigott family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pigott migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Pigott or a variant listed above:

Pigott Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward Pigott, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1801 7
Mark Pigott, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 7
Robin Pigott, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 7
William Pigott, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1813 7
Betty Pigott, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1813 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pigott migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pigott Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mrs. Ann Pigott, aged 60 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Wakefield" departing from the port of Wakefield, Cork but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 8
Mr. John Pigott, aged 5 months who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "John Francis" departing from the port of John Francis, Cork but died on Grosse Isle in June 1847 8
Mrs. Mary Pigott, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Elizabeth" departing from the port of Elizabeth, Liverpool but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 8
Mr. William Pigott, aged 36 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "John Francis" departing from the port of John Francis, Cork but died on Grosse Isle in June 1847 8
Mrs. Catherine Pigott, aged 26 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "John Francis" departing 10th April 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 10th June 1847 but she died on board 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pigott migration to Australia +

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

Pigott Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Pigott, English convict who was convicted in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England for 7 years transported aboard the "Forfarshire" on 24th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
David Pigott, aged 39, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Isle of Thanet" 11
Matilda Pigott, aged 19, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Grand Trianon"
William Pigott, aged 22, a mason, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "Clara"
Mr. William Pigott, (b. 1838), aged 22, Cornish seaman who immigrated to New South Wales, Australia aboard the ship "Medway" in 1860 convicted at Darlinghurst Gaol in April 1860 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Pigott (post 1700) +

Mark Pigott (b. 1954), American CEO of PACCAR Inc
William Pigott, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Washington, 1916, 1924, 1928 13
Shirley Persons Pigott, American Republican politician, Candidate for Texas State Board of Education 2nd District, 1998 13
Luther G. Pigott, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State Senate 13th District, 1944 13
James Protus Pigott (1852-1919), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives, 1885-86; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Connecticut, 1888 (speaker), 1900 13
Brad Pigott, American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, 1994-98; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 2004 13
Robert Pigott (1736-1794), English food and dress reformer from Chetwynd Park, Shropshire
Nathaniel Pigott (d. 1814), English astronomer, born at Whitton, Middlesex
Sir Gillery Pigott (1813-1875), English Baron of the Exchequer from Oxford, fourth son of Paynton Pigott
Edward Pigott (1768-1807), English astronomer, son of Nathaniel Pigott Whitton, Middlesex, he observed Jupiter's satellites and the transit of Venus of 3 June 1769
... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Pigott 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: Tout foys prest
Motto Translation: Always ready.

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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
"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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 51)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 92)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forfarshire
South Australian Register Wednesday 25th October 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Isle of Thanet 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/isleofthanet1854.shtml
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_gaol_admissions.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html