2000
#681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,850
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.00
Uncommon Last name
Small
An English topographic name for someone who lived near a narrow or small road, path, or bridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 51,159 Americans carry the last name Small. That puts it at #761 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 14.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,700 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Small 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 Small with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
51K
1 in 6,700
Census rank
#761
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
14.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
45K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 44,613 bearers of the surname Small in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 14.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 761st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Small, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Small
Among Census respondents with the surname Small, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Small 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 Small surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.3% · 26,440
- Black or African American31.2% · 13,915
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,868
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,520
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 542
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 328
Timeline
Historical Census data for Small
Small 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
#861
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,212
-5,638 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 13.63
Rank movement Down 180 places
2020
#761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,613
+4,401 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 14.93
Rank movement Up 100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #681 | 45,850 | 17.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #861 | 40,212 | 13.63 | -5,638 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 180 places |
| 2020 | #761 | 44,613 | 14.93 | +4,401 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 100 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 Small 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 | #861 | #761 | 11.6% |
| Count | 40,212 | 44,613 | 10.9% |
| Per 100K | 13.63 | 14.93 | 9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Small bearers went from 40,212 to 44,613 (+10.9% change). The surname moved up 100 positions in the national ranking, going from #861 to #761.
FAQ
Small surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Small?
Name Census estimates that about 51,159 living Americans carry the surname Small. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,700 residents.
How common is Small?
Small ranks #761 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 14.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 44,613 people with the surname Small. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (51,159), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 14.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 14.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Small.
Has Small become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Small went from 40,212 recorded bearers to 44,613. That is an increase of 4,401 (+10.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #861 to #761.
What does the Census say about the background of Small?
Among Census respondents with the surname Small, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Small in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.3% (26,440 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Small appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.3%), Black (31.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Small (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 Small mean?
An English topographic name for someone who lived near a narrow or small road, path, or bridge. 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 Small (14.93 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 are called Small?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Small is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.