Higa
A surname most strongly associated with Japanese origin, though the single historical excerpt here is only an incidental medieval English name mention and does not explain the modern surname.
The #8,398 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 78,362 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The modern surname Higa is best known as a Japanese family name. In Japanese, many surnames are written with different kanji depending on the family line, so the exact original meaning can vary by household. Because the excerpt provided is only an incidental mention of a much earlier medieval name form, it does not offer usable evidence for the surname's etymology; the Japanese origin here is based on general onomastic knowledge rather than the excerpt.
History
Higa is a relatively common Okinawan and Japanese surname and is especially familiar in communities with Japanese diaspora. The historical excerpt supplied does not appear to concern the modern surname tradition itself, so it cannot be used to trace a specific English or medieval lineage for Higa. In practice, the name is most often encountered as a Japanese family name in contemporary records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Japanese surnames, the same romanized form can hide multiple different kanji spellings, each with its own nuance of meaning.
From the historical record
“BCS — KCD 1353 iEthelhelm iEthelm Higa [c. 912] landowner Wilts BCS 591 KCD 328 Earle”
— Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum: a list of Anglo-Saxon proper names