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

Littlebear, 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 Littlebear surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Littlebear in America

Littlebear is the 72568th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Littlebear surname appeared 268 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 Littlebear.

We can also compare 2010 data for Littlebear 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 Littlebear

The surname LITTLEBEAR is of Native American origin, originating from various indigenous tribes across North America. It is an English translation of a descriptive name given to individuals with a smaller or more diminutive stature, or possibly as a nickname or honorific title.

The name's roots can be traced back to the early colonial era, when European settlers began recording and translating the names of Native Americans they encountered. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LITTLEBEAR appears in the 1680 census records of the Powhatan Confederacy in Virginia, referring to a member of the Pamunkey tribe.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, as more Native American tribes were displaced and relocated, the name LITTLEBEAR began to appear in various regions across the United States. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Crazy Horse (1840s-1877), the renowned Oglala Lakota leader and war chief; and Sarah Winnemucca (1844-1891), a prominent advocate for the Paiute people and author of the book "Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims."

In the 20th century, the name LITTLEBEAR gained recognition through figures such as Wilma Mankiller (1945-2010), the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, and Billy Frank Jr. (1931-2014), a renowned activist for Native American fishing rights and environmental protection in the Pacific Northwest.

Other notable individuals with the surname LITTLEBEAR include John Littlebear (1941-2010), a Comanche code talker during World War II, and Donna Littlebear (1940-2014), a respected elder and storyteller from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

While the name LITTLEBEAR is relatively uncommon in the general population, it holds significant cultural and historical significance within various Native American communities, reflecting their rich linguistic traditions and the resilience of their identities throughout generations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Littlebear

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

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

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

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