2000
#3,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,607
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.56
Uncommon Last name
Littlefield
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a small pasture or open field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,310 Americans carry the last name Littlefield. That puts it at #3,847 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Littlefield 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 Littlefield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,245
Census rank
#3,847
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.0K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,991 bearers of the surname Littlefield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3847th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Littlefield, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Littlefield
The surname Littlefield originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "lyttel" meaning small or little, and "feld" meaning field or open land. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a small field or a small area of cultivated land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Littlefield can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and population commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Litelfelde in the county of Essex.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved into various spellings such as Littlefeld, Lytelfelde, and Littelfeld. These variations were common during the Middle Ages due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name was Sir John Littlefield, a knight who fought alongside Edward III during the Hundred Years' War against France. He was born in 1320 and died in 1385.
During the 16th century, the Littlefield family established themselves as prominent landowners in the county of Sussex. One member, Richard Littlefield, was a wealthy merchant who served as a sheriff of Sussex in 1567.
In the 17th century, several Littlefields emigrated to the American colonies. One of the earliest arrivals was Edmund Littlefield, who settled in Newbury, Massachusetts, in 1637. He later became a prominent figure in the local community and served as a selectman and a deputy to the General Court.
Another notable bearer of the name was Nathaniel Littlefield, a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was born in 1746 in Newbury, Massachusetts, and served as a private in the Continental Army.
In the 19th century, Humphrey Littlefield, born in 1824 in England, was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Old City Hall in Toronto, Canada.
Throughout history, the Littlefield surname has been associated with various professions, including farming, military service, merchanting, and architecture. While the name originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly North America, due to immigration and family migrations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Littlefield
Among Census respondents with the surname Littlefield, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Littlefield 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 Littlefield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 7,823
- Two or more races4.8% · 432
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 263
- Black or African American2.9% · 258
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 123
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 92
Timeline
Historical Census data for Littlefield
Littlefield 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
#3,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,707
+100 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 3.29
Rank movement Down 259 places
2020
#3,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,991
-716 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 3.01
Rank movement Down 177 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,411 | 9,607 | 3.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,670 | 9,707 | 3.29 | +100 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 259 places |
| 2020 | #3,847 | 8,991 | 3.01 | -716 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 177 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 Littlefield 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 | #3,670 | #3,847 | -4.8% |
| Count | 9,707 | 8,991 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.29 | 3.01 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Littlefield bearers went from 9,707 to 8,991 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 177 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,670 to #3,847.
FAQ
Littlefield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Littlefield?
Name Census estimates that about 10,310 living Americans carry the surname Littlefield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,245 residents.
How common is Littlefield?
Littlefield ranks #3,847 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,991 people with the surname Littlefield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,310), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Littlefield.
Has Littlefield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Littlefield went from 9,707 recorded bearers to 8,991. That is a decrease of 716 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,670 to #3,847.
What does the Census say about the background of Littlefield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Littlefield, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Littlefield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (7,823 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Littlefield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Littlefield (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 Littlefield mean?
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a small pasture or open field. 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 Littlefield (3.01 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 Littlefield?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.