Meaning of Last Name

Higgins is a surname found in Ireland and in England with two separate origins. In Ireland the name is derived from the ancient Gaelic family Ó hUiginn (O'Higgins), a sept of the Royal House of O'Neill. The O'Higgins were high status poets in the courts of the Irish Chiefs and Princes between the 14th and 17th centuries. Scions of this family include Bernardo O'Higgins, the first Head of State of Chile, and Kevin O'Higgins who was Minister for Justice in the first Irish Free State government. The English surname Higgins is a demunitive of first name Richard, Hicke being a nickname for Richard, which in turn evolved into Higgins. Those of the name Higgins or O'Higgins include: