Wiggs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Wiggs family
The surname Wiggs was first found in Leicestershire at either Wigston Magna or Wigston Parva. Both parishes date back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where they were listed as Wichingestone and Wicestan, respectively. 1
Wigston Magna literally means "farmstead or estate of a man called Wicing," from the Old English Viking name + "tun." "Magna" means "great." 2
Wigston Parva literally meant "rocking-stone," from the Old English "wigga" + "stan." 2
Anther source notes that the word "Wigston" means "Wigg's (Stone) Castle. Wig, a descendant of Woden (who probably in the 3rd cent. A.D.), was an ancestor of the kings of Wessex." 3
"Wig occurs in the ancestry of Cerdic, king of the West Saxons, and Wiga is found in the Domesday of Yorkshire. Hence perhaps Wigson, Wigget, Wiggin, &c.' 4
The name is rather rare in early rolls. The source "Early London Personal Names" includes Ailmar Wigga, c. 1130, while the Pipe Rolls of Essex list Walter Wigge in 1204. 5
Early History of the Wiggs family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wiggs research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1404, 1548, 1564 and 1597 are included under the topic Early Wiggs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Wiggs Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Wigston, Wigeton, Wiggeton, Wiggstone, Wigstone, Wigton, Wixton, Wickston, Wigginton, Wiggington, Wiginton, Wigginton, Wiginston, Wigingston and many more.
Early Notables of the Wiggs family
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wiggs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Wiggs Ranking
In the United States, the name Wiggs is the 7,563rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6
Wiggs migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Wiggs Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Eliza Wiggs, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 7
Wiggs Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Henry Wiggs, who landed in Virginia in 1725 7
Contemporary Notables of the name Wiggs (post 1700) +
- A. T. Wiggs, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Tennessee, 1948 8
- A. H. Wiggs, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Tennessee, 1916 (alternate), 1940 8
- Hubert Thomas Wiggs (b. 1893), American professional football player and coach, active (1922 to 1923)
- James Alvin "Jimmy" Wiggs (1876-1963), nicknamed "Big Jim," American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher, active (1903 to 1906)
- Johnny Wiggs (1899-1977), born John Wigginton Hyman, American jazz musician and band leader from New Orleans, Louisiana, mentor to Pete Fountain
- Carson Michael Wiggs (b. 1990), American NFL football placekicker for the Seattle Seahawks
- Josephine Miranda Cordelia Susan Wiggs (b. 1965), English indie/alternative rock musician
- Peter Stewart "Pete" Wiggs (b. 1966), English musician and DJ from Reigate, Surrey
Citations +
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html