Show ContentsTwigg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish surnames in use today are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Twigg originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Coigligh, which may be derived from "coigeal," which denotes "unkempt hair."

Early Origins of the Twigg family

The surname Twigg was first found in County Mayo (Irish: Maigh Eo) located on the West coast of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Connacht, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Twigg family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Twigg research. Another 162 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1461, 1468 and 1470 are included under the topic Early Twigg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Twigg Spelling Variations

Scribes and church officials, lacking today's standardized spelling rules, recorded names by how they were pronounced. This imprecise guide often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Twigg are preserved in documents of the family history. The various spellings of the name that were found include O'Quigley, Quigley, Cogley, Quigly, Quigg, MacQuigg, McQuigge, O'Quigg, Twigg, Fivey and many more.

Early Notables of the Twigg family

Notable among the family name at this time was Patrick Cogley (died after 1470), an Irish Crown official, landowner and judge who was listed in 1461 as Master of the Rolls in Ireland and later Chief...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Twigg Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Twigg Ranking

In the United States, the name Twigg is the 7,637th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Twigg migration to the United States +

A massive wave of Irish immigrants hit North America during the 19th century. Although many early Irish immigrants made a carefully planned decision to leave left Ireland for the promise of free land, by the 1840s immigrants were fleeing a famine stricken land in desperation. The condition of Ireland during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s can be attributed to a rapidly expanding population and English imperial policies. Those Irish families that arrived in North America were essential to its rapid social, industrial, and economic development. Passenger and immigration lists have revealed a number of early Irish immigrants bearing the name Twigg:

Twigg Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Charles Twigg, who landed in Maryland in 1655 2
  • Francis Twigg, who arrived in Maryland in 1655 2
Twigg Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Paul Twigg, who settled in New Haven, Conn. in 1820
  • Robert Twigg, who settled in Philadelphia in 1856
  • Thomas Twigg, who landed in Arkansas in 1873 2
  • John H. Twigg, aged 51, who settled in America from Dublin, in 1892
  • J. H. Twigg, aged 34, who immigrated to America, in 1893
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Twigg Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Edith Twigg, aged 23, who landed in America from Sheffield, England, in 1907
  • Alferd Twigg, aged 53, who immigrated to the United States from Sheffield, England, in 1907
  • Harold Despard Twigg, aged 32, who settled in America from Cloghes, Ireland, in 1907
  • Mary Twigg, aged 53, who settled in America from Sheffield, England, in 1907
  • Herbert Twigg, aged 30, who landed in America, in 1908
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Twigg migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Twigg Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • James Twigg, aged 27, who settled in Moose Jaw, Canada, in 1913

Australia Twigg migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Twigg Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Mark Twigg, (b. 1816), aged 22, English labourer who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
  • Mr. John Twigg, British Convict who was convicted in Knutsford (Nether Knutsford), Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 12th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 4
  • Mr. Joseph Twigg, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 9th May 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
  • William Twigg, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asiatic" in 1849 6
  • William Twigg, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "The Stratheden" in 1850 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Twigg migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Twigg Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Twigg, (b. 1837), aged 19, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Isabella Hercus" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th January 1856 8
  • Mr. Robert Twigg, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Rakaia" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 10th August 1881 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Twigg (post 1700) +

  • Rebecca Twigg (b. 1963), American seven-time gold medalist racing cyclist, two-time Olympian
  • S. Edward Twigg, American politician, Mayor of Hibbing, Minnesota, 1936-38 10
  • Noah S. Twigg, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Maryland 6th District, 1920; Socialist Labor Candidate for U.S. Senator from Maryland, 1932 10
  • Carol A. Twigg, American politician, Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York, 1974 10
  • Carl Twigg, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 1936 10
  • Georgie Twigg (1990-2012), British bronze medalist hockey player at the 2012 Olympic Games
  • Stephen Twigg (b. 1966), British Labour Party politician, Minister of State for Schools (2004-2005)
  • Gary Twigg (b. 1984), Scottish footballer from Glasgow
  • Derek Twigg (b. 1959), British Labour Party politician

HMS Hood
  • Mr. Charles J Twigg (b. 1921), English Stoker 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Washwood Heath, Birmingham, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 11
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Frederick Alexander Twigg, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 12


  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. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th December 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ASIATIC 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Asiatic.htm
  7. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The STRATHEDEN 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Stratheden.htm
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  11. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  12. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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