2000
#266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102,718
First available Census row
Per 100,000 38.08
Common Last name
Little
An English descriptive surname referring to a person of small stature or a nickname for the youngest son.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115,889 Americans carry the last name Little. That puts it at #306 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 33.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,958 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Little 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Little with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
116K
1 in 2,958
Census rank
#306
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
33.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101,061 bearers of the surname Little in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 33.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 306th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Little, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (23.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Little
Among Census respondents with the surname Little, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (23.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Little 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 Little surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.2% · 67,949
- Black or African American23.5% · 23,755
- Two or more races4.4% · 4,432
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 3,090
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 1,222
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 613
Timeline
Historical Census data for Little
Little 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
#291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105,936
+3,218 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 35.91
Rank movement Down 25 places
2020
#306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101,061
-4,875 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 33.81
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #266 | 102,718 | 38.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #291 | 105,936 | 35.91 | +3,218 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 25 places |
| 2020 | #306 | 101,061 | 33.81 | -4,875 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 15 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 Little 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 | #291 | #306 | -5.2% |
| Count | 105,936 | 101,061 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 35.91 | 33.81 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Little bearers went from 105,936 to 101,061 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #291 to #306.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Little
FAQ
Little surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Little?
Name Census estimates that about 115,889 living Americans carry the surname Little. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,958 residents.
How common is Little?
Little ranks #306 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 33.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 34 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101,061 people with the surname Little. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115,889), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 33.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 33.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 34 of them to have the surname Little.
Has Little become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Little went from 105,936 recorded bearers to 101,061. That is a decrease of 4,875 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #291 to #306.
What does the Census say about the background of Little?
Among Census respondents with the surname Little, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (23.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Little in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.2% (67,949 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Little appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.2%), Black (23.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Little (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 Little mean?
An English descriptive surname referring to a person of small stature or a nickname for the youngest son. 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 Little (33.81 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 Little?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.