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

LittleThunder, 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 LittleThunder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of LittleThunder in America

LittleThunder is the 94311th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The LittleThunder surname appeared 194 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 LittleThunder.

We can also compare 2010 data for LittleThunder 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 LittleThunder

The surname LITTLETHUNDER has its origins in the Native American cultures of North America, particularly among the Algonquian-speaking tribes of the eastern United States. The name likely emerged during the late 17th or early 18th century when European settlers began recording and translating indigenous names into English.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LITTLETHUNDER can be found in the records of the Moravian missionary David Zeisberger, who worked among the Delaware (Lenape) people in the Ohio Country during the late 1700s. Zeisberger documented the name "Pahmahundikkund," which translates roughly to "Little Thunder" in the Delaware language.

In the early 19th century, the name appears in the journals of explorer and ethnographer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, who encountered individuals with the name LITTLETHUNDER among the Ojibwe (Chippewa) people of the Great Lakes region. Schoolcraft's writings provide valuable insight into the cultural and linguistic significance of the name within these Native American communities.

One notable individual who bore the surname LITTLETHUNDER was Chief Saysayseet (c. 1790-1850), a leader of the Potawatomi tribe in the present-day state of Michigan. Saysayseet, whose name translates to "Little Thunder," played a prominent role in the negotiations and treaties between his people and the United States government during the era of westward expansion.

Another figure of historical significance was Wabashaw (c. 1785-1846), a chief of the Mdewakanton Dakota Sioux who resided in what is now Minnesota. His name, which means "Little Thunder" or "Little Thunderer" in the Dakota language, was often recorded as LITTLETHUNDER by American officials and writers of the time.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname LITTLETHUNDER can be found among members of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of the Great Plains. One notable individual was Starving Bear (c. 1860-1935), a Cheyenne warrior and chief whose name was sometimes translated as LITTLETHUNDER by government agents and interpreters.

While the surname LITTLETHUNDER has its roots in the indigenous cultures of North America, it has since been adopted by individuals of various backgrounds and ethnicities, reflecting the diverse and multicultural nature of modern societies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name LittleThunder

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

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

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

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