Dictionary

Higgins en · PROPN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈhɪɡɪnz/

Etymology

An anglicised version of Irish Ó hUiginn (“descendant of a Viking”).

Meanings

1. A surname from Irish, from County Sligo.
   • In 2024, House Republicans voted to censure Higgins for offensive remarks he made on social media after he called Haiti "the nastiest country in the western hemisphere" and referred to Haitians as "eating pets" and "slapstick gangsters". 2025 November 18, Brandon Drenon, “The only 'no' vote on releasing Epstein files”, in BBC:
2. A place name, which could be of either etymology: ▸ A suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
3. A place name, which could be of either etymology: ▸ A township in Roscommon County, Michigan, United States.
4. A place name, which could be of either etymology: ▸ An unincorporated community in Yancey County, North Carolina, United States.
5. A place name, which could be of either etymology: ▸ A town in Lipscomb County, Texas, United States, named after G. H. Higgins, Santa Fe Railway stockholder.

Forms

Higgins en · PROPN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˈhɪɡɪnz/

Etymology

A Middle English patronymic surname derived from a diminutive of Hick (Richard).

Meanings

1. An English surname transferred from the given name.