BIGGIN
The surname Biggin is of English origin and is traditionally seen as a locational name. It is derived from the Middle English word bigging, meaning a building or dwelling place, indicating that the first bearers of the name were associated with, or lived near, such a structure.
In the Middle Ages the term bigging was employed in Northern England and parts of the north-east as a general reference to an outbuilding or a dwelling, a usage that is recorded in Old Norse as byggia which originally meant “to build”. Consequently, the surname was given to persons who owned or worked in prominent buildings, or who lived in close proximity to them.
The earliest documented spelling of the family name is that of Thomas del Biggyng, dated 1391 in the Register of the Freemen of the City of York, during the reign of King Richard II. Subsequent early records include a William atte Byggyngge appearing in 1397 in the placenames of Cambridgeshire, a John Biggin who was christened on 11 December 1679 in St. Margaret's, Westminster, and a William Biggin who married Mary Mare on 12 January 1686 in St. James's, Dukes Place, London.
Variations of the spelling of the surname have occurred across the centuries. The name has been recorded as Biggins, Biggen, Biggans, Biggons, and Biggun, among others. Such differences reflect the phonetic spelling practises of earlier record keeping, where surnames were written as they were pronounced in local dialects.
The name is also linked to a number of place names in England – notably Biggin in Huntingdonshire, as well as locations in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. These places were traditionally named from the Old English word bycgan, meaning “to buy” or “to barter”, and from the Old Norse bygg meaning “barley” combined with vin meaning “meadow”. The place names therefore suggested a “meadow where barley is grown” and the surname adapted from association with such localities.
In addition to its locational origin, the etymology of Biggin may allude to occupation. The root bycgan conveys the meaning “to buy” or “to barter”, a possible indication that some bearers of the surname were otherwise involved in trade or commerce, or that their dwelling was newly built and thus noteworthy as a place of purchase or acquisition.
Today the surname Biggin remains principally found in England, especially within the communities that historically bore the name. It is also represented among descendants of British emigrants in countries such as Canada, Australia and the United States, although it is comparatively uncommon on a global scale, underscoring its distinctly British heritage.
Typical given names associated with the Biggin surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- Graeme
- James
- Jeremy
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Philip
- Richard
- Stephen
Female
- Alison
- Carol
- Catherine
- Deborah
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Frances
- Jill
- Kathryn
- Samantha
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Biggin in...
Braille
⠃⠊⠛⠛⠊⠝
Morse
-.....--.--...-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,318 people named Biggin in the UK. That makes it roughly the 5,937th most common surname in Britain. Around 20 in a million people in Britain are named Biggin.
Famous people named Biggin
- Dan Biggin - Musician
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.