Liggins
A surname probably connected to old English forms based on “fire” or, more likely, a later family-name development from a shorter name like Legg or Leigh.
The #8,602 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 80,676 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The older scholarship is uncertain, and the name may not have a single straightforward origin. One 19th-century writer tentatively linked Liggins to an old English word for “fire,” suggesting it could be a derivative of a short root such as Legg, Legh, Leigh, or Lee. However, that explanation is speculative rather than firmly established, and the modern surname is best treated as an uncertain English formation, possibly a diminutive or patronymic development from an earlier short name.
History
The surname appears in England and later spread to other English-speaking countries. Because the published etymology is tentative, it is hard to separate a single family line from several possible origins or spellings. The form Liggins may also reflect later standardization from earlier variant spellings.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In a 19th-century etymological dictionary, Liggins was grouped with several other short surnames that the author thought might trace back to an old word for “fire.”
From the historical record
“Xmblished in London, 1834; and Ludlow's "India," in 1858. The authorship of "Adam Bede" was at fii'st erroneously attributed to a Mr. Liggins. MoxoN was an eminent English publisher, better known than Dilly. Maturin was, in his day, a most popular novelist. Polwhele is a British author. Lizar's " Use and Abuse of…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)