Family name origins & meanings
- English (mainly Lancashire) : patronymic from the medieval personal name Higgin, a pet form of Hick.
- The Higginson family of New England, which includes several prominent 17th and 18th century ministers and merchants, first appeared in America in 1629 with the Rev. Francis Higginson of Claybrooke, Leicestershire, England. He was a Puritan divine who emigrated to Salem, MA in that year.