Higgenbottom History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Higgenbottom

What does the name Higgenbottom mean?

The name Higgenbottom is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived at Higginbottom in the neighbourhood of Marple and Macclesfield, in East Cheshire. 1

Another source postulates that Oakenbottom in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire was the the original homestead of the family and that it was "probably influenced by the dialect word hickin or higgin, the mountain ash." 2

Early Origins of the Higgenbottom family

The surname Higgenbottom was first found in Lancashire where Alexander de Akinbothun was recorded in the Assize Rolls for 1246. 2

As a very rare name, the next entry for the family was over 300 hundred years later in the Prestbury Church, Cheshire where John Hyggynbothom was listed in 1563. The source Earwaker's East Cheshire included an entry for Nicholas Hichinbothome, of Marple gentleman in 1579 and the Lancashire, and Cheshire Record Society notes Alice Higginbotham, of Marple, 1595. 1

Early History of the Higgenbottom family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Higgenbottom research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1762 and 1844 are included under the topic Early Higgenbottom History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Higgenbottom Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Higgenbottom were recorded, including Higginbottom, Higginbotham, Hickenbottom, Hickinbottom, Higgenbottom, Higginbothem, Higinbotham, Higinbothem and many more.

Early Notables of the Higgenbottom family

Abel Joshua Higginbotham, English stowaway who was ejected from a ship at Madras port after he was discovered on board. After a brief internship working as a librarian for a Weslyan Book Shop run by Protestant missionaries, he purchased the...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Higgenbottom Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Higgenbottom migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Higgenbottom family emigrate to North America:

Higgenbottom Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Higgenbottom, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1828 3

Sources +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)