# Small (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/small/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 40,212 |
| US rank (2010) | 861 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 7,678 people |
| Change since 2000 | -12.3% (45,850 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Smale, Smales, Smalles, Smalls |

## Etymology

Inherited from Old English smæl (“small”). Compare Smail. First attested in the 1200s.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Small in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 63% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 31% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.6% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.9% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Small in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Panama.

## People named Small

- John Kunkel Small, American botanist (1869-1938)
- Albion Woodbury Small, American sociologist (1854-1926)
- Sharon Small, British actress
- Irving Small, American ice hockey player (1891–1955)
- Xochitl Torres Small, American politician from New Mexico
- Kim Small, Australian field hockey player
- Brendon Small, American actor
- Carmen Small, American road racing cyclist
- Bertrice Small, American writer (1937–2015)
- Greta Small, Australian alpine ski racer
- Michael Small, American composer (1939–2003)
- Len Small, American politician (1862-1936)

and 2 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Smalley, Smail, Smeal, Smillie, Samuel, Snell, Smiley, Schnell, Shanley, Schimmel, Scannell, Schmoll.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.