Baggett
A nickname surname, probably meaning “the shaggy” or “the rough-haired,” though some sources also connect it to a place-name pronunciation.
The #2,833 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 24,278 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Baggett is usually treated as a nickname surname from Middle English ragged, meaning rough, shaggy, or worn-looking. Charles Bardsley notes it as “the ragged,” and suggests it may reflect a person’s appearance or hair. He also mentions a possible link with the local pronunciation of Reigate in Surrey, but that explanation is less secure. The name may therefore be either a descriptive nickname or, in some cases, a surname influenced by local speech.
History
The surname appears in English records in several spelling forms, especially Bagot and Baggett. It was later carried to Scotland and Ireland, where it appears in genealogical and county lists. In the United States it remains uncommon but established, with a modest modern presence.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley specifically ties the name to a medieval nickname meaning “the ragged,” showing how many surnames began as simple descriptions.
From the historical record
“o; SheSidd, 4, 1 ; Fbiladelphia, i, o. Baggett, Bagget.— Nick. ' the ragged,' i.e. the shaggy, the rough- haired. Lower says, ' Reigate, in Surrey, locally so pronounced.' It may be so. But a familiar entry in mediaeval records is ' Ic Ragged,'”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances