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

Small, 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 Small surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Small in America

Small is the 861st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Small surname appeared 40,212 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 14 people would have the surname Small.

We can also compare 2010 data for Small 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 Small

The surname "SMALL" is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "smæl," meaning "slender" or "thin." This name was initially used as a descriptive nickname to distinguish individuals who were of a slight or diminutive stature.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname "SMALL" can be traced back to the 13th century in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Somerset, Dorset, and Wiltshire. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was William le Smale, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are references to several place names that may have contributed to the formation of the surname "SMALL." For example, the village of Smalebrook in Derbyshire and the manor of Smaleho in Wiltshire are mentioned.

During the Middle Ages, the surname "SMALL" appeared in various spellings, including Smale, Smalle, and Smaley, reflecting the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time. Some notable bearers of this surname from this period include Sir John Smale, a member of the English Parliament in the 14th century, and William Smalle, a merchant who lived in London in the 15th century.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname "SMALL" continued to be well-represented in various records and documents. One prominent figure was Edward Small, a renowned English writer and poet who lived from 1585 to 1675. Another notable bearer of this surname was Sir Bartholomew Small, a successful merchant and Lord Mayor of London in the early 17th century.

As the centuries progressed, the surname "SMALL" spread across England and eventually to other parts of the world, including the American colonies. One notable American bearer of this surname was John Small, a Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in the state of Maine, who lived from 1738 to 1818.

Other notable individuals with the surname "SMALL" include Sir John Small, a British naval officer and colonial administrator in the late 18th century, and Albion Woodbury Small, an American sociologist and educator who founded the American Sociological Society in the late 19th century, born in 1854 and died in 1926.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Small

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

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

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

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