The origin of this title seems pretty obvious, but a grandson suggested that I post it. Random House writes that the use of wigs apparently started in France in the seventeenth century and reached England a bit later. The English wore wigs differentiated based on class and profession, and “…men of great importance naturally wore larger wigs that the rabble…” earning them the title “big wigs.” The term is also recorded as “bigwig” and it was considered to be a derisive term. Other words used to poke humor were “bigwiggery” and “bigwiggism.”