PIGGOTT
Piggott is an English surname of Anglo‑Saxon origin, first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 under the spelling Picot for Roger in Cheshire during the reign of King William the Conqueror.
The name derives from the Old English word picg meaning “pig” and the suffix cot meaning “cottage” or “shelter”. Consequently, it is considered a topographic name for a person who lived near or worked at a pigsty, or a nickname for someone who resembled a pig in some manner.
In Middle English the word pigot, piga and pigge were diminutives of the animal name. It was therefore either an occupational name for a pig-keeper or a figurative nickname. Many early record holders of the surname appear in legal and church documents: Robert Picot in the years 1140, William Piket in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire in 1177, and Waubert Pyket in the Calendar of Letter Books of London in 1277. A Walter Piggott is noted as an emigrant to Virginia aboard the “Abraham” in 1635.
The surname has several variants arising from spelling differences over time. Common forms include Piggott, Piggot, Picot, Pickett, and Picket. In the Forest of Wiltshire and in Normandy these variants evolved, but the spelling Piggott has remained the most widely recognised within the family tree.
In the latter centuries the name spread beyond England. Irish records show a significant presence, particularly in County Cork and Kerry, where it ranked as the 317th most common surname in the 1901 and 1911 censuses. It also appears on a smaller scale in Canada, the United States and Australia, often concentrated in areas with large Irish communities in the United States such as Iowa, Ohio and Indiana.
While the original meaning of the name has become less relevant to modern bearers, the surname persists as a familial identifier connected to a long history of English and Anglo‑Saxon heritage. The diverse spellings and geographical spread illustrate the mobility of the name across the British Isles and to the wider world during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Typical given names associated with the Piggott surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- David
- James
- John
- Keith
- Mark
- Michael
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Ann
- Claire
- Deborah
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Nicola
- Patricia
- 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 Piggott in...
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There are approximately 3,816 people named Piggott in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,444th most common surname in Britain. Around 59 in a million people in Britain are named Piggott.
Surname type: Diminutive
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Piggott
- Lester Piggott - Champion Jockey
- Stuart Piggott - Archaeologist (1910 to 1996)
- Derek Piggott - Glider pilot and flying instructor (1922 to 2019)
- Joe Piggott - Football player
- Julian Piggott - Cricketer (1888 to 1965)
- Eleanor Piggott - Rower
- Andy Piggott -
- Jordan Piggott - Football player
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.