Explore the Family Name O’higgins
The meaning of O’higgins
Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hUiginn ‘descendant of Uiginn’, a byname meaning ‘viking, sea-rover’ (from Old Norse víkingr). The final -s was added later by analogy with English possessives. History: The O’Higgins family is a sept of O’Neill. The Chilean liberator Bernardo O’Higgins (1778–1842) was the illegitimate son of Ambrosio O’Higgins (1720–1801), colonial governor of Chile under the Spanish empire. Ambrosio (alias Ambrose) was born in County Sligo.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name O’higgins in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname O’Higgins has seen a slight increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 127,948 and had 123 incidences counted. By 2010, its rank slightly improved to 127,494 and the count increased to 134, representing an almost 9% growth. However, the proportion of people with the O'Higgins surname per 100,000 population remained constant at 0.05.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #127,948 | #127,494 | 0.35% |
| Count | 123 | 134 | 8.94% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name O’higgins
Looking at the ethnic identity associated with the O’Higgins surname, there are a few notable shifts according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, 85.37% identified as White, and 13.01% identified as Hispanic. No individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native. By 2010, while the proportion identifying as White decreased to about 77%, those identifying as Hispanic increased to approximately 18%. Additionally, the 2010 Census also recorded a small group, making up 5.22% who identified with two or more races, a category that did not exist in the 2000 Census for this surname.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 85.37% | 76.87% | -9.96% |
| Hispanic | 13.01% | 17.91% | 37.66% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 5.22% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |