2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Litel
A surname meaning small or little, derived from the Old English word "lȳtel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Litel. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Litel surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Litel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Litel, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Litel
The surname LITEL originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "lytel", meaning small or little. The name likely referred to someone of diminutive stature or a younger son in a family.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named Litel is listed as a landholder in the county of Buckinghamshire. The name was also documented in various medieval records and manuscripts from different parts of England, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire and the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared with various spellings, including Litel, Litell, and Littel. One notable bearer of the name during this period was John Litel, a member of the Parliament of England who represented the borough of Wycombe in 1295.
The LITEL surname was also associated with several place names across England. For instance, there was a hamlet called Litelmere in Buckinghamshire, and a village named Liteltone (now Littleton) in Worcestershire. These place names may have contributed to the development of the surname in their respective regions.
During the 14th century, a prominent figure bearing the LITEL surname was Sir William Litel, a knight who served in the Hundred Years' War under King Edward III. He was born around 1320 and died in 1386.
In the 15th century, John Litel, a wealthy merchant from Bristol, England, was recorded as a benefactor of the city's churches and charitable organizations. He lived from approximately 1420 to 1492.
Another noteworthy individual with the LITEL surname was Thomas Litel, a Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the English Reformation in 1537 for refusing to acknowledge King Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church of England.
Throughout the centuries, the LITEL surname has maintained its presence in various parts of England, albeit with some variations in spelling, such as Little, Littell, and Littell. While the name's popularity may have fluctuated over time, it remains an integral part of the country's rich historical and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Litel
Among Census respondents with the surname Litel, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Litel bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Litel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino13.0% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Litel
Litel appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,776 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,775 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,776 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Up 5,775 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Litel surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #151,532 | #145,757 | 3.8% |
| Count | 108 | 115 | 6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Litel bearers went from 108 to 115 (+6.5% change). The surname moved up 5,775 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #145,757.
FAQ
Litel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Litel?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Litel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Litel?
Litel ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Litel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Litel.
Has Litel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Litel went from 108 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 7 (+6.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Litel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Litel, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Litel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Litel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Hispanic (13.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Litel (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Litel mean?
A surname meaning small or little, derived from the Old English word "lȳtel." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Litel (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Litel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.