Find out how popular the last name Litt is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Litt.

Litt, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Litt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Litt in America

Litt is the 21940th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Litt surname appeared 1,183 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Litt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Litt to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Litt

The surname LITT originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old German word "litt," which means "small" or "little." The name was likely given to someone of short stature or to distinguish between two people with the same first name.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the LITT surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony in Germany, dating back to the 12th century. The name is mentioned in a document from 1157, which refers to a landowner named Hermannus Litt.

In the 13th century, the LITT surname appears in various official records throughout Germany, including the Urkundenbuch der Stadt Köln (Book of Documents of the City of Cologne) from 1235, which mentions a merchant named Johannes Litt.

During the Middle Ages, the LITT name was also found in other parts of Europe, particularly in the Low Countries (modern-day Netherlands and Belgium). In 1312, a man named Willem Litt is recorded in the archives of the city of Ghent.

One notable figure bearing the LITT surname was Johannes Litt (1472-1537), a German theologian and humanist scholar. He was a professor at the University of Wittenberg and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation, supporting the efforts of Martin Luther.

Another prominent individual with the LITT surname was Sir Henry Litt (1617-1688), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1677. He was also a member of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.

In the 18th century, the LITT name spread to other parts of Europe and beyond. Johann Georg Litt (1723-1796) was a German composer and organist who worked in St. Petersburg, Russia, for several years.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the LITT surname dates back to the late 18th century. William Litt (1755-1818) was a soldier in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Pennsylvania.

Another notable American with the LITT surname was Charles Benjamin Litt (1848-1909), a businessman and politician who served as the 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1901 to 1903.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Litt

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Litt.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Litt was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Litt has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Litt was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Litt, please contact us.

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