Riggleman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Riggleman name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in a settlement called Wrigley, which experts theorize was in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The surname Riggleman belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Riggleman family

The surname Riggleman was first found in Wrigley Head, now part of Failsworth in Greater Manchester. 1 "This name seems to have passed over the borders from the West Riding of Yorkshire into South-East Lancashire, via Saddleworth, in which district it still possesses a strong foothold." 2

Ironically, the first record of the family was not Saddleworth, but in Derbyshire where Wills de Wriggeley was listed at Brampton, near Chesterfield in 1327-1328 as per the Lay Subsidy Rolls. Here the family held estates well into the 16th century as in 1556 Ralph Wrigly was appointed priest at Kirk Langley, by Henry Pole, Lord of the Manor. Through the years the family continued to be quite evident in Longford, west of Derby. Roger Wrigley was a priest at Prestwich in 1549 and curate at Oldham (1563-1575.)

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 has only one entry for the family, that of Willelmus Wryglegh; but the source Wills at Chester, has the following: John Wrgley, of Millington, 1576; John Wrigley, of Saddleworth, 1620; and Margaret Wrigley, of Saddleworth, 1635. 2

The American "Chewing Gum" Wrigleys trace back to Broadhead, Broadmeadow and Knowl, Yorkshire c. 1681.

Early History of the Riggleman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Riggleman research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1524, 1539, 1543, 1766, 1808, 1832, 1833, 1842, 1861, 1909 and 1932 are included under the topic Early Riggleman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Riggleman Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Riggleman has undergone many spelling variations, including Wrigley, Wrigly, Rigley, Riggeley and others.

Early Notables of the Riggleman family

More information is included under the topic Early Riggleman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Riggleman Ranking

In the United States, the name Riggleman is the 11,644^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Riggleman family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Riggleman were among those contributors: Abraham, Elias, James, John, Joseph, Thomas, William Wrigley, all arrived in Philadelphia between 1825-1868.

Contemporary Notables of the name Riggleman (post 1700) +

L. Earl Riggleman, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Iowa State House of Representatives from Crawford County, 1950 4

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html