Bigelow
An English surname likely from Baguley, the name of a place in Suffolk, later reshaped in spelling.
The #3,086 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 26,502 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally treated as a locational name, probably from Baguley in Suffolk as interpreted by 19th-century surname scholars. The place-name was analyzed as referring to a corner or bend by a brook or back field, with elements glossed roughly as “corner” and “brook/back.” The spelling Bigelow appears to be a later variant or reworking of an older form such as Biggely/Baguley.
History
One historical note connects John Biggely or Bigelow of Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1642 with Randle Baguley of Suffolk, suggesting how the name crossed the Atlantic. The surname is therefore found in early New England records as well as in England. Later spellings stabilized as Bigelow in America, where it became the standard form.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The 1857 source explicitly links Bigelow to a Watertown settler in 1642, giving the surname an early colonial paper trail.
From the historical record
“BIENFAIT {£.), Comely, Handsome, (v. Hubsch.) BIERHAUS ((S.)j Beer-house, {v. Dunnebier and Gutbier.) BIGELOW (N. €.), Baguley ((g.). Corner, Brook or Back field ? Byga, a corner ; bsec or bee, brook ; base, back. John Biggely or BiGELOW, of Watertown in 1642, was the son of Randle Baguley, of co. Suffolk. BIGGAR…”
— Surnames