Rigg Surname

50,572nd
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 10,144 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Isle of Man

Rigg Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the ridge,' from residence on the rig or back of a hill; compare Bridge and Brigg. In North Lancashire and Cumberland Rigg is a very familiar surname, almost as common as Fell; v. Riggs.

Read More About This Surname

Rigg Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States3,9051:92,81910,420
England3,5831:15,5512,275
Australia1,1081:24,3643,340
Canada4071:90,5309,953
Jamaica2721:10,5511,114
New Zealand2441:18,5593,258
Scotland2141:25,0182,743
Austria501:170,30922,149
Wales461:67,2725,910
South Africa441:1,231,31169,478
Panama331:118,5534,252
Costa Rica311:154,1962,192
France261:2,554,720189,486
Isle of Man251:3,433731
Germany191:4,237,129172,669
Singapore171:323,98313,856
Switzerland121:684,41046,196
Indonesia111:12,022,654410,938
Philippines111:9,203,475207,772
Qatar91:262,00030,726
Estonia81:165,22626,217
Netherlands71:2,412,45494,797
Brazil61:35,679,055486,536
Hong Kong61:1,222,5805,222
Thailand51:14,127,669603,945
Italy41:15,289,172132,955
Jersey31:33,0674,675
Israel31:2,852,545113,505
United Arab Emirates21:4,581,13693,443
Ukraine21:22,761,348425,733
Sweden21:4,923,378241,212
Spain21:23,376,018128,922
Northern Ireland21:922,51818,701
Czechia21:5,316,734169,646
Mexico21:62,063,10283,384
Malaysia21:14,747,112316,340
Russia21:72,061,528727,117
Liberia11:4,408,53547,110
Ireland11:4,708,93929,543
Afghanistan11:32,153,18360,828
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Dominican Republic11:10,432,93236,508
Zimbabwe11:15,438,240133,260
Ghana11:27,020,69223,742
Guernsey11:64,4392,137
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Turkey11:77,821,422191,047
Libya11:6,243,9746,186
Macau11:601,6301,582
South Korea11:51,240,2568,015
Monaco11:37,0664,748
Slovakia11:5,336,450140,422
Norway11:5,142,286129,201
Pakistan11:178,643,885213,220
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland201:221,49310,092
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England2,3401:10,4171,577
Scotland1761:21,2682,069
Wales91:174,2686,522
Isle of Man11:54,2692,077
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States1,0601:47,3765,426

Rigg (65) may also be a first name.

Rigg Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the ridge,' from residence on the rig or back of a hill; compare Bridge and Brigg. In North Lancashire and Cumberland Rigg is a very familiar surname, almost as common as Fell; v. Riggs.

Thomas de la Rigge, Hampshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

John de Legh del Rigge, 1437: Earwaker's East Cheshire.

Edward Rigge, of Hawltshead, 1586: Lancashire Wills at Richmond.

Clement Rigg, of Hawkshead, 1590: ibid.

Robert Rig, of Hawkshead, 1611: ibid.

William Rigg, of Satterthwaite, 1611: Wills at Chester.

1620. Thomas Ridge and Jane Waters: Marriage Lic. (London).

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

Of local origin from lands of the name near Dunbar, East Lothian, and elsewhere. James Rig or Ryg rendered to Exchequer the accounts of the burgh of Dumfries in 1560 and 1567 (ER., XIX, p. 117,372), and a family of this name were burgesses of Dumfries and Annan and small landowners in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbriglit. James Rig in Greinmers, Kirkcudbrightshire, 1646 (Retours, Kirkcudbright, 239). Robert Rig was burgess of Arne in 1503 (Friars Ayr, p. 70). Hew Ryg was procurator in St. Andrews, 1548 (Rollok, 29), and Quintigernus Rig had a charter of lands of Cerberrie in the parish of Inveresk in 1600 (RD., p. 495). James Rigg, poet, died in 1907. A family of this name probably gave name to Rigsland in Fife. Rige 1637.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(Scandinavian and N.Eng.) Dweller at a Ridge [Old Norse hrygg-r = Old Northern English hrycg]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(English, Scottish) Dweller at a ridge or range of hills; one who came from the lands of Rigg, in East Lothian.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

A parish in Herts. Many other minor localities are so called. The medieval form is Atte Rigge, whence Trigg. In the XVI. cent. it was commonly written A'Ridge.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Rigg is the medieval spelling of Ridge.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

A location name in Dumfriesshire.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

Ridge: (Anglo-Saxon), generally applied to an old Roman road: Ridgeway; Aldridge, Aldrich—the name At Ridg or At Rigg has become Trigg or Triggs; Beveridge, Kimmeridge, Ashridge.

Family Names And Their Story (1913) by Sabine Baring-Gould

Rigg Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Rigg Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Rigg (Russian: Ригг) is carried by more people in The United States than any other country/territory. It can be rendered as:. For other potential spellings of this last name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Rigg? popularity and diffusion

It is the 50,572nd most frequently occurring family name on a worldwide basis, borne by approximately 1 in 718,409 people. The surname is mostly found in Europe, where 40 percent of Rigg live; 38 percent live in Northern Europe and 38 percent live in British Isles. It is also the 1,212,820th most numerous first name globally It is held by 65 people.

Rigg is most widely held in The United States, where it is borne by 3,905 people, or 1 in 92,819. In The United States it is primarily found in: California, where 11 percent are found, Illinois, where 10 percent are found and Florida, where 8 percent are found. Other than The United States it exists in 53 countries. It also occurs in England, where 35 percent are found and Australia, where 11 percent are found.

Rigg Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The occurrence of Rigg has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people who held the Rigg last name rose 368 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it rose 153 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it rose 122 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it rose 511 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it fell 95 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Rigg Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those carrying the Rigg surname is chiefly Anglican (84%) in Ireland.

In The United States those holding the Rigg last name are 14.8% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 61.57% being registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Rigg earn in different countries varies greatly. In South Africa they earn 63.95% more than the national average, earning R 389,604 per year; in United States they earn 9.81% more than the national average, earning $47,384 USD per year and in Canada they earn 13.26% more than the national average, earning $56,271 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Riggs8950,950/
Riegg89869/
Reigg8927/
Rig86262/
Hriggs802/
Rigggs801/
Riggss801/
Reiggs800/
Roig7530,334/
Reig758,448/
Rugg755,235/
Rieg752,697/
Rygg751,411/
Rzig75609/
Raig75529/
Regg75474/
Ruig75309/
Rigs7554/
Righ7542/
Riog7530/
Ricg759/
Rigt755/
Rigz754/
Rrig752/
Hrig752/
Rgig752/
Rigp752/
Rjgg752/
Rgeg751/
Rigq751/
Risg751/
Rigx751/
Rigk751/
Ruegg671,734/
Reigh67507/
Roigt67271/
Ruijg67160/
Rigue67153/
Roigk67120/
Ruigt6753/
Ruigh6745/
Reggs6745/
Ryggs6722/
Ruigk6710/
Rgaig677/
Rigss676/
Raigh675/
Ruugg674/
Reugg673/
Riegh673/
Reigs673/
Rheig672/
Reisg671/
Raigs671/
Rickg671/
Rrieg671/
Rigks671/
Reigt671/
Rejgg671/
Hrzig671/
Riekg671/
Rucgg670/
Reagg670/
Rhegg670/

Rigg Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Rigg in the Russian language
Риггrigg-

Search for Another Surname

Rigg Reference & Research

Riggs FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

Riggs FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Rigg
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis