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

Lyttle, 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 Lyttle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lyttle in America

Lyttle is the 14902nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lyttle surname appeared 1,986 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lyttle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lyttle 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 Lyttle

The surname Lyttle is believed to have originated in England, with its roots tracing back to the Anglo-Saxon era, specifically the 9th or 10th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "lyttel," meaning small or little, suggesting that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone of small stature.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical records from medieval England, such as the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and tenants after the Norman Conquest. The name was often spelled as "Littel" or "Lytel" in these early records, reflecting the evolving spelling conventions of the time.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Lyttle was Sir William Lyttle, who lived in the 14th century and served as a knight and landowner in Yorkshire, England. Another early record dates back to 1327, when a Richard Lyttle was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire.

As the surname spread across England, it also took on various localized spellings, such as "Lyttell," "Litell," and "Littell," reflecting regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling conventions. Some of these variations may have originated from place names, such as the village of Little in Shropshire or the town of Littleborough in Greater Manchester.

In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Thomas Lyttle (1535-1599) was a member of the English Parliament and served as Sheriff of London. During the same period, a William Lyttle (1550-1621) was a renowned scholar and clergyman who served as the Dean of Bristol Cathedral.

As the British Empire expanded, the surname Lyttle also found its way to various parts of the world, including Ireland, where it is believed to have been introduced by English settlers or immigrants. In the 18th century, a notable figure named John Lyttle (1717-1795) was a prominent Presbyterian minister in County Antrim, Ireland.

Over the centuries, the surname Lyttle has been associated with various occupations and professions, from landowners and clergymen to scholars and public servants, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lyttle

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

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

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

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