Show ContentsBigelow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Bigelow surname lived near hills of barley. The surname Bigelow was also often derived from residence near one of the various settlements called Baguley, a name that originally means ram's woodland.

Early Origins of the Bigelow family

The surname Bigelow was first found in Warwickshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Bigelow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bigelow research. Another 25 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1739, 1767, 1790 and 1821 are included under the topic Early Bigelow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bigelow Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Bigelow are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Bigelow include: Bigelow, Biggelow, Bigelowe and others.

Early Notables of the Bigelow family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Timothy Bigelow (1739-1790), Major in the American Revolutionary War
  • Timothy Bigelow (1767-1821), Speaker of Massachusetts House of Representatives

Bigelow Ranking

In the United States, the name Bigelow is the 3,000th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1


Bigelow migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Bigelow or a variant listed above:

Bigelow Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Bigelow, who landed in Massachusetts in 1630 2
  • John Bigelow who settled in New England in 1620. He later moved to Watertown in 1637
Bigelow Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Colonel Timothy Bigelow was in the Massachusetts Line Regiment in the Revolutionary War
Bigelow Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Bigelow, who settled in Barnstable in Massachusetts in 1820
  • Edward M Bigelow, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1843 2
  • W J Bigelow, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1849 2
  • J C Bigelow, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
  • L Bigelow, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bigelow migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bigelow Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Jesse Bigelow U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 3
Bigelow Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Increase Summer Bigelow, who landed in Canada in 1832
  • Abijah Bigelow, who landed in Canada in 1832
  • Benjamin Bigelow, who arrived in Canada in 1841

Contemporary Notables of the name Bigelow (post 1700) +

  • John Bigelow IV, nicknamed "Fore", an American golf prodigy who started playing golf at the age of one and appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show at the age of three
  • Frank Bigelow, American politician, Member of the California State Assembly
  • John Bigelow Jr. (1854-1936), United States Army Lieutenant Colonel who received a Silver Star and a Purple Heart for his actions in Cuba
  • Howard E. Bigelow (1923-1987), American mycologist
  • Henry Bryant Bigelow (1879-1967), American oceanographer and marine biologist awarded the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal from the National Academy of Sciences in 1948
  • Charles Henry Bigelow (1872-1958), American racecar driver who competed in the 1911 Indy 500
  • Charles H. Bigelow (b. 1862), American architect from Lowell, Massachusetts
  • Charles Bigelow, American politician, Mayor of Houston in 1840
  • Charles A. Bigelow (b. 1945), American type historian, professor, and designer, awarded the MacArthur Fellowship in 1982, the Frederic W. Goudy Award in 1987 and Sloan Science and Film screenwriting awards in 2001 and 2002
  • Ruth C. Bigelow, American founder of the Bigelow Tea Company, an American tea company based in Fairfield, Connecticut in 1945
  • ... (Another 63 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Bigelow +

  • The Bigelow Family Genealogy by Patricia Bigelow.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. 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


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