The forefathers of the Biggert family were Viking settlers who came to Scotland in the Middle Ages. Many places were named by these Norsemen, and the Biggert surname was taken on from one of these place names, when someone lived in east Lanarkshire, in a place probably named from the Old Norse words "bygg," meaning "barley," and "geiri," denoting a triangular plot of land.
The surname Biggert was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Biggert research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1153, 1160, 1174, 1292, 1329, 1368, and 1614 are included under the topic Early Biggert History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Sound and intuition were the main things that scribes in the Middle Ages relied on when spelling and translating names. Since those factors varied, so did the spelling of the names. Spelling variations of the name Biggert include Biggar, Bigare, Bigger, Bigir, Bygar, McGivern, Bigger and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Biggert Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Biggert family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In North America, the monarchy was thousands of miles away and Scots were free to settle on their own land and practice their own beliefs. The American War of Independence provided an opportunity for these settlers to pay back the English monarchy and forge a new nation. Recently, this heritage has survived through North American highland games and Clan societies. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Biggert or a variant listed above: Gilbert Bigger who settled in Baltimore in 1754; David Bigger settled in New Hampshire in 1718; James Biggart settled in Pennsylvania in 1772.