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

Little, 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 Little surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Little in America

Little is the 291st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Little surname appeared 105,936 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 36 people would have the surname Little.

We can also compare 2010 data for Little 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 Little

The surname LITTLE is an English surname derived from the Old English word "litel" or "lytel", meaning small or little. It is believed to have originated in the late 11th century as a descriptive name, likely referring to someone of diminutive stature or a younger sibling. The name was commonly found in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Lincolnshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LITTLE can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Littel" and "Litel" in various entries across different counties.

In the 13th century, the surname LITTLE appears in a number of historical records, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled as "Lytel" and "Littel". During this period, the name was also associated with certain place names, such as Little Parndon in Essex and Little Gaddesden in Hertfordshire.

Notable individuals bearing the surname LITTLE throughout history include Sir Richard LITTLE, a 14th-century English nobleman and military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War (c. 1320-1400). Another prominent figure was Thomas LITTLE, an English Puritan minister and one of the founders of the city of Newbury, Massachusetts, in the early 17th century (1597-1672).

In the 18th century, James LITTLE, a Scottish-born American surveyor and explorer, was instrumental in mapping and surveying the state of Georgia in the United States (1711-1781). Later, John LITTLE, an English author and poet, gained recognition for his works, including "The Poetical Works of John Little" (1803-1865).

In the 19th century, William John LITTLE, an English surgeon and orthopaedist, made significant contributions to the field of medicine and is known for his work on the treatment of clubfoot deformity, now known as Perthes' disease (1810-1894).

These are just a few examples of individuals bearing the surname LITTLE who have left their mark on history, demonstrating the surname's widespread presence and the diverse backgrounds of those who carried it.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Little

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

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 Little 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 Little 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 Little was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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