Riggins
A surname most likely meaning “son of Rigg” or “son of Riggin,” with roots in an old nickname or place-name element.
The #2,934 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 25,270 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Riggins is generally treated as a patronymic form built from Rigg or Riggin, with the ending -s meaning “son of” in older English surname formation. The base name Rigg is commonly linked to an English dialect word for a ridge, or in some cases to a nickname or place-name based on that same word. In short, the surname most likely began as “son of Rigg” or “son of Riggin,” though older sources sometimes gloss the underlying form a bit differently.
History
The surname is found in English naming traditions and later carried into the United States through migration. Early surname writers also grouped it with related forms such as Rigg and Riggs, suggesting a small family of closely related spellings. In modern English usage, Riggins is best understood as one of several variant surname forms built on the same base.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname writers often explained both Rigg and Riggs through the same root, which is why these names are so closely related in historical references.
From the historical record
“Riggers, 182. Riggin, 182. Riggins, 182. Riggs, 182, 184. Right, 117. Righter, 327, 229. Rightly, 121. Riglitstone, 237.”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)