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    The surname Little

    A patronymic surname, carried by 105,936 people in the United States.

    Pronounced /ˈlɪtəl/ 2 syllables Soundex L340

    Little: #291 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#100Jimenez#1,000Archer#10,001Dubon Little #291, 105,936 people Little: #291 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott Little #291, 105,936 people
    Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Little is more common than 99.8% of them.

    Origin

    English surname, from the adjective little (“small, (ironic) big, not much, younger”). Compare Short, Shorty. This has also been translated and adapted from similar-meaning names in other languages, such as: * Irish Ó Beagáin (“descendant of Beagán”), from a diminutive of beag (“small”), see also Began. * French Petit and Polish Mały * Native American names such as Navajo hastiin yázhí (“little man”), see Yazzie.

    Little is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

    Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    How common it is

    2010 US Census

    There were 105,936 people named Little in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,914 Americans. That is up 3.1% since 2000, when the Census counted 102,718.

    #291
    rank among US surnames
    105,936
    people in 2010
    36
    per 100,000 Americans
    +3.1%
    change since 2000 (was #266)
    RankSurnamePeople1 in
    #282Wang109,8832,810
    #283Weber109,4332,821
    #284Welch108,9872,833
    #285Rojas108,4212,848
    #286Lucas107,6902,867
    #287Márquez107,5332,871
    #288Fields107,5222,871

    Who is named Little

    Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

    70% of people named Little identified as white (not Hispanic), 24% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.0% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

    • White (not Hispanic) 70%
    • Black (not Hispanic) 24%
    • Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.0%
    • Two or more races 1.9%
    • American Indian and Alaska Native 1.3%
    • Asian and Pacific Islander 0.4%

    Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

    Famous Littles

    28 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Samuel Little
      American serial killer, 1940–2020
    • Shamier Little
      American hurdler, born 1995
    • Mackenzie Little
      Australian javelin thrower (1996-)
    • Cleavon Little
      American actor (1939–1992)
    • Ann Little
      Actress (1891-1984)
    • Angela Little
      American actress, born 1972
    • Dwight H. Little
      American film and television director (born 1956)
    • Natasha Little
      British actress, born 1969
    • Booker Little
      American jazz musician (1938–1961)
    • Nassir Little
      American basketball player (born 2000)
    • Kevin Little
      American sprinter, born 1968
    • John Sebastian Little
      American politician (1851-1916)

    Notable Littles come mostly from the United States (22), Australia (5) and the United Kingdom (1).

    Spellings and sound-alikes

    Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

    Variant spellings

    Surnames that sound like Little

    Little has the Soundex code L340, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code L340.

    Questions

    Where does the surname Little come from?
    English surname, from the adjective little (“small, (ironic) big, not much, younger”). Compare Short, Shorty. This has also been translated and adapted from similar-meaning names in other languages, such as: * Irish Ó Beagáin (“descendant of Beagán”), from a diminutive of beag (“small”), see also…
    How common is the surname Little?
    105,936 people in the United States had the surname Little in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,914 Americans. It ranked 291st of 162,253 surnames.
    What ethnicity is the surname Little?
    In the 2010 Census, 70% of people named Little identified as white (not Hispanic), and 24% as Black (not Hispanic).
    Who is the most famous person named Little?
    Samuel Little, American serial killer, followed by Shamier Little.
    Where is the surname Little most common?
    Wikidata records people named Little in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.
    How do you pronounce Little?
    Little is /ˈlɪtəl/, 2 syllables.
    What type of surname is Little?
    Little is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
    Is the surname Little getting more or less common?
    More common. 102,718 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 105,936 in 2010, up 3.1%.
    What are other spellings of Little?
    Littel, Littell, Lytle, Lyttle, Litle and Lightle.