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

Littlejohn, 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 Littlejohn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Littlejohn in America

Littlejohn is the 2976th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Littlejohn surname appeared 12,047 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Littlejohn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Littlejohn 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 Littlejohn

The surname Littlejohn originated in England and Scotland during the medieval period. It is a diminutive form of the personal name John, meaning "little John" or "young John." The name likely emerged as a way to distinguish between individuals with the common name John, particularly within families or communities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Littlejohn can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a certain Richard Littlejohn is mentioned. In Scotland, the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document containing the names of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.

The Littlejohn surname has its roots in various old English and Scottish place names, such as Littlejohn's Close in Edinburgh and Littlejohn's Wynd in Aberdeen. These place names suggest that the surname was well-established in these areas by the 16th and 17th centuries.

Notable individuals with the surname Littlejohn include:

1. John Littlejohn (c. 1495-1537), a Scottish clergyman and the first Protestant martyr in Scotland, who was burned at the stake for heresy.

2. Henry Littlejohn (1801-1891), a Scottish-born Australian politician and landowner who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.

3. William Littlejohn (1838-1905), a Scottish journalist and author known for his work on Scottish folklore and dialect.

4. Archibald Littlejohn (1856-1934), a Scottish physician and medical inspector who played a crucial role in improving public health in Scotland.

5. David Littlejohn (1865-1941), a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the oil industry and established the Littlejohn Scholarship Fund at the University of California, Berkeley.

While the Littlejohn surname has its origins in England and Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and migration patterns. However, the earliest recorded examples and historical references remain rooted in the British Isles, reflecting the name's medieval origins and its evolution over centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Littlejohn

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

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

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

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