TRIGGS
Triggs is an English surname that first appears in documentary records in the early thirteenth century. The name is a patronymic form of Trigg, a habitational or topographic designation that originally denoted a dweller at or near a house. In Old English, the word trig means “a dwelling” or “a house”; hence the surname was likely assigned to a person who lived beside a prominent house or who held or managed a residence.
Alternative spellings, including Trigge and Trigges, appear in the surviving records. In the southwestern counties of England these variations are most commonly found, although the name is sporadically recorded throughout the country. The use of a terminal -s is typical of English patronymic construction, suggesting “son of Trigg.”
Historical sources also indicate an Old Norse connection. The Old Scandinavian byname Triggr, meaning “trustworthy” or “faithful,” is believed to have been introduced to the British Isles during the seventh and eighth centuries. The personal name was first recorded as Trig in the 12th‑century Templar rolls of England, specifically in Yorkshire, in 1185. Subsequent entries, such as William Trigges in 1279 (Cambridgeshire) and Ralph Trigge in 1332 (Lancashire), demonstrate the name’s continued use across different regions.
The earliest formal documentation of the surname dates to 1202, when a William Trig is listed in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire, during the reign of King John (1199–1216). The name’s presence in ecclesiastical records, including the 1615 marriage of George Triggs to Agnis Stonner at St. Dunstan’s, Stepney, and the 1662 union of James Triggs with Anna Dillian at St. Benet’s, Paul’s Wharf, confirms its sustained usage into the early modern period.
In contemporary Britain, the surname survives primarily in the southwestern region, with a modest concentration of bearers in counties such as Devon, Somerset, and Dorset. Its diminutive length and straightforward spelling have contributed to its enduring recognisability across the English‑speaking world.
Typical given names associated with the Triggs surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Anne
- Barbara
- Deborah
- Heather
- Jennifer
- Karen
- Lesley
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Samantha
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Trigg
- Trigo
- Trigger
- Trigge
- Triggo
- Trig
- Trigas
- Trige
- Darcus
- Dareks
- Dargas
- Darkes
- Darkis
- Darks
- Darkus
- Daroczi
- Darroux
- Deirks
- Dergas
- Derieux
- Derix
- Derks
- Deroux
- Derricks
- Derx
- Diercks
- Dierckx
- Dierickx
- Dieriex
- Dierikx
- Dierkes
- Dierks
- Dircks
- Dirckx
- Dirckze
- Direkze
- Dirickx
- Dirikis
- Dirix
- Dirks
- Dirkse
- Dirkx
- Doarks
- Dorcas
- Dorcus
- Doregos
- Dorkes
- Dorkis
- Dorks
- Dracas
- Dracass
- Dracos
- Dracz
- Dragas
- Draghici
- Dragos
- Dragus
- Drakes
- Drakos
- Draks
- Drax
- Dreggs
- Dreux
- Driggs
- Drikos
- Drogos
- Drogosz
- Drougas
- Drucas
- Drygas
- Drykes
- Dureux
- Durieux
- Durkis
- Durkiss
- Duroux
- Dyrcz
- Taragos
- Tarakci
- Tarcsi
- Targas
- Targos
- Targosz
- Targus
- Terrieux
- Tiarks
- Torgoose
- Torkos
- Torrgoose
- Tourikis
- Tracz
- Tragus
- Traicos
- Trax
- Treagus
- Tregose
- Tregs
- Tregus
- Triccas
- Tricks
- Triggel
- Triggle
- Triggol
- Trigs
- Trix
- Troakes
- Trokes
- Troksa
- Trucks
- Truex
- Trygg
- Turcas
- Turgoose
- Turgus
- Turkes
- Turkosz
- Turkoz
- Turks
- Trigui
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Triggs in...
Braille
⠞⠗⠊⠛⠛⠎
Morse
-.-...--.--....
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,533 people named Triggs in the UK. That makes it roughly the 5,260th most common surname in Britain. Around 24 in a million people in Britain are named Triggs.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Triggs
- Gillian Triggs - Australian legal scholar
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.