2000
#14,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,929
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Lyttle
An anglicized form of the Irish surname "O'Lyttle," derived from the Gaelic "O'Leadghail," meaning "descendant of Leadghail."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,417 Americans carry the last name Lyttle. That puts it at #13,749 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,810 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lyttle 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 Lyttle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,810
Census rank
#13,749
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,108 bearers of the surname Lyttle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13749th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyttle, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lyttle
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyttle, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lyttle 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 Lyttle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.0% · 1,329
- Black or African American28.2% · 595
- Two or more races4.5% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lyttle
Lyttle 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
#14,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,986
+57 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 643 places
2020
#13,749
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,108
+122 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 1,153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,259 | 1,929 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,902 | 1,986 | 0.67 | +57 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 643 places |
| 2020 | #13,749 | 2,108 | 0.71 | +122 bearers (+6.1%) | Up 1,153 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 Lyttle 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 | #14,902 | #13,749 | 7.7% |
| Count | 1,986 | 2,108 | 6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.71 | 5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lyttle bearers went from 1,986 to 2,108 (+6.1% change). The surname moved up 1,153 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,902 to #13,749.
FAQ
Lyttle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lyttle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,417 living Americans carry the surname Lyttle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,810 residents.
How common is Lyttle?
Lyttle ranks #13,749 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,108 people with the surname Lyttle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,417), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lyttle.
Has Lyttle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lyttle went from 1,986 recorded bearers to 2,108. That is an increase of 122 (+6.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,902 to #13,749.
What does the Census say about the background of Lyttle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyttle, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Lyttle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.0% (1,329 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lyttle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.0%), Black (28.2%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Lyttle (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 Lyttle mean?
An anglicized form of the Irish surname "O'Lyttle," derived from the Gaelic "O'Leadghail," meaning "descendant of Leadghail." 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 Lyttle (0.71 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 Lyttle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.