Fun Facts About the Name Riggins
- 989 babies named Riggins: U.S. records list 989 babies given the name Riggins from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 girls received the name Riggins - about 1 girl for every 197 boys.
What Does the Name Riggins Mean?
Riggins is an English surname used as a given name, formed as a patronymic meaning "son of Rigg." The base is the Middle English personal name or byname Rigg (also spelled Rigge), a short form that English speakers used for several names; it is most often explained as a pet form of Richard, through clipped forms such as Rick and Rigge. To this base the surname adds the diminutive suffix -in and the genitive -s, so Riggin or Riggins literally denotes a descendant or son of a man called Rigg. A second, competing explanation treats the base as the Northern English dialect word rigg, "ridge" (from Old Norse hryggr), which would make the name topographic - for someone who lived on or by a ridge - rather than patronymic. The two derivations are hard to separate because the personal name and the topographic word were spelled the same way.
Riggins Name History & Origins
Riggins is an English surname that later came into use as a first name. Family names of this shape - a short personal name or byname plus -in and a final -s - were common in medieval England and became hereditary in the late Middle Ages, when a second name passed from parent to child. The element Rigg also appears in place names and field names in northern England, where the Old Norse word for a ridge survived in local speech, so some families likely took the name from a landmark rather than from an ancestor.
Use of Riggins as a given name is a modern, chiefly American development, following the long-standing practice of turning surnames into first names, often to preserve a family name. It remains uncommon as a first name and is more familiar in the United States as a surname, notably that of the football player John Riggins.
How Popular is the Name Riggins?
Riggins has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2023. Its best rank was #1,424 in 2023.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | #18,563 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,776 | 91 | 0.0053% |
| 2024 | #1,678 | 100 | 0.0058% |
| 2023 | #1,424 | 128 | 0.0075% |
| 2022 | #1,859 | 86 | 0.0049% |
| 2021 | #1,779 | 90 | 0.0051% |
| 2020 | #2,160 | 65 | 0.0038% |
| 2019 | #2,125 | 68 | 0.0038% |
| 2018 | #2,378 | 56 | 0.0031% |
| 2017 | #2,308 | 57 | 0.0031% |
| 2016 | #2,469 | 52 | 0.0027% |
| 2015 | #2,755 | 44 | 0.0023% |
| 2014 | #3,516 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 2013 | #3,641 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2012 | #4,819 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #4,474 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2010 | #5,201 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2009 | #5,755 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #14,168 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2007 | #12,054 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Riggins Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are a law unto itself. Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You are tolerant and like to help humanity. You are very active. You are generally warmhearted and gives freely of your time, energy, and sympathetic understanding. You have tolerance and acceptance of the frailties of others. Universal and humanitarian in outlook. This is very compassionate name. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Riggins's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Riggins's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.