Show ContentsBigg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Bigg is part of the ancient legacy of the early Norman inhabitants that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Bigg was a Norman name used for a large, stout, or strong man. The name is Old Norse in origin, and stems from the Old English root bigge.

Early Origins of the Bigg family

The surname Bigg was first found in Essex, where they had been granted lands by King William after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Bigg family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bigg research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1606, 1659 and 1917 are included under the topic Early Bigg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bigg Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Biggs, Bigg, Big, Bigge, Byggs, Bygges, Bigges and others.

Early Notables of the Bigg family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Tristram Biggs of Little Langford in Wiltshire


United States Bigg migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Bigg name or one of its variants:

Bigg Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Rachell Bigg, aged 6, who arrived in New England aboard the ship "Elizabeth" in 1635 [1]
  • Elinor Bigg, who landed in Virginia in 1648 [1]
  • Johan Bigg, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 [1]
  • John Bigg, who settled in Virginia in 1653
  • Josuah Bigg, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 [1]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bigg Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Bigg who settled in Maryland in 1774
Bigg Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Archibald Bigg, who arrived in America in 1806 [1]
  • A Bigg, aged 42, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1852 [1]

Canada Bigg migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bigg Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. John Bigg U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1783 [2]

New Zealand Bigg 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:

Bigg Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Albert G. Bigg, aged 24, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Wild Duck" in 1873

Contemporary Notables of the name Bigg (post 1700) +

  • William Redmore Bigg (1755-1828), English painter, a pupil of Edward Penny, R.A [3]
  • John Stanyan Bigg (1828-1865), English poet and journalist, born at Ulverston 14 July 1828 [3]


  1. 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)
  2. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  3. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 June. 2019


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