Pigg
An English and Scandinavian-based nickname surname originally referring to a pig or a pig-like person, and sometimes linked to a sign-name or occupation.
The #7,633 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 70,992 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Pigg is generally explained as a nickname from the word for a pig, especially in northern English and Scandinavian contexts. Harrison connects it with Scandinavian forms such as Danish-Norwegian and Swedish words for a young pig, with related Low German forms also cited. The name could also have been used as a sign-name, and in some cases may have described a stout build, a pig-keeper, or some other pig-associated characteristic.
History
The name appears in medieval English records and is grouped with other animal-based surnames like Hogg, Bacon, and Wildbore. Later surname writers treated it as a common nickname surname in northern England, with some influence from Scandinavian speech forms. It has remained relatively uncommon but steady as a family name in Britain and the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname scholars often listed Pigg alongside Hogg, Bacon, and Wildbore as part of a lively set of farmyard-animal nicknames.
From the historical record
“PIETT, V. Pyett. PIGG (Scand.) a nickname and sign-name from the Pig [M.E. pig(ge must represent Dan.-Norw. pige-smn, s. youtig female swrine (cp. Dan.-Norw. pigeVctrn, a female child)— /'!^e= Swed./i!^a= O.N. ^zfta, agirl: note the corresp. Low Ger. bigge, a pig, a little child, and Out. big, bigge (f.), a young…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)