NameCensus.

UK surname

Litten

A variant of the English surname Litton, originating from a place name.

In the 1881 census there were 200 people recorded with the Litten surname, ranking it #12,836 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 281, ranked #15,449, down from #12,836 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Swindon, Lyddington, St Leonard Shoreditch and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rugby, East Riding of Yorkshire and Swindon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Litten is 329 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 40.5%.

1881 census count

200

Ranked #12,836

Modern count

281

2016, ranked #15,449

Peak year

1999

329 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Litten had 200 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,836 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016, ranked #15,449.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 305 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Litten surname distribution map

The map shows where the Litten surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Litten surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Litten over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 150 #12,905
1861 historical 161 #14,392
1881 historical 200 #12,836
1891 historical 228 #13,582
1901 historical 247 #13,238
1911 historical 305 #11,307
1997 modern 310 #13,241
1998 modern 326 #13,146
1999 modern 329 #13,147
2000 modern 297 #14,008
2001 modern 296 #13,842
2002 modern 299 #14,017
2003 modern 285 #14,295
2004 modern 293 #14,082
2005 modern 290 #14,140
2006 modern 286 #14,322
2007 modern 283 #14,579
2008 modern 284 #14,687
2009 modern 293 #14,669
2010 modern 295 #14,911
2011 modern 286 #15,091
2012 modern 285 #15,050
2013 modern 292 #15,027
2014 modern 282 #15,537
2015 modern 280 #15,485
2016 modern 281 #15,449

Geography

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Where Littens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Swindon, Lyddington, St Leonard Shoreditch, London parishes, Reading St Giles, Shinfield (East and West Side, Hartley Dammer), Sonning (Early), and New Windsor, Clewer. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rugby, East Riding of Yorkshire, Swindon and Kingston upon Hull. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Swindon, Lyddington Wiltshire
2 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 Reading St Giles, Shinfield (East and West Side, Hartley Dammer), Sonning (Early), Berkshire
5 New Windsor, Clewer Berkshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rugby 011 Rugby
2 East Riding of Yorkshire 025 East Riding of Yorkshire
3 East Riding of Yorkshire 036 East Riding of Yorkshire
4 Swindon 012 Swindon
5 Kingston upon Hull 033 Kingston upon Hull, City of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Litten

These lists show first names that appear often with the Litten surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Litten

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Litten, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Litten surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Litten household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Litten is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Litten is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Litten falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Litten is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Litten, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Litten

The surname LITTEN originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "liten", which means small or little. This name likely referred to a person of small stature or was used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was younger or shorter than others in their community.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the LITTEN surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a Richard Liten is listed as residing in Oxfordshire. The Hundred Rolls were a census-like record taken in England during the reign of King Edward I.

By the 14th century, the LITTEN surname had spread to various regions of England, with variations in spelling such as Litton, Lytton, and Littun appearing in historical documents. In the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, a John Lytten is recorded in Gloucestershire, while a Robert Lytton is listed in Yorkshire.

The LITTEN name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Robert Litton (1480-1556), a prominent English judge and Chief Justice of the Common Pleas during the reign of King Henry VIII.

Another distinguished bearer of the LITTEN surname was Sir Edward Litton (1587-1645), an English politician and courtier who served as a Member of Parliament and as a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to King Charles I.

In the literary world, Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) was a renowned English novelist, playwright, and politician, best known for his historical novel "The Last Days of Pompeii" and for coining the famous opening line "It was a dark and stormy night."

The LITTEN surname has also been associated with several notable figures in the field of science and technology. Albert Litton (1891-1983) was an American engineer and inventor who designed and developed the first successful mass-produced automobile coil springs.

Another notable bearer of the LITTEN name was Judith Litton (1926-2013), a British physicist and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the development of computer programming languages and software engineering.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Litten families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Litten surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 44 Littens recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.33x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 44 2.33x
Devon 37 9.39x
Wiltshire 36 21.51x
Berkshire 28 19.71x
Oxfordshire 13 11.13x
Surrey 12 1.30x
Yorkshire 10 0.53x
Hampshire 5 1.29x
Sussex 4 1.25x
Somerset 3 0.99x
Essex 1 0.27x
Gloucestershire 1 0.27x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Highworth in Wiltshire leads with 18 Littens recorded in 1881 and an index of 841.12x.

Place Total Index
Highworth 18 841.12x
Clewer 16 274.91x
Littleham 12 416.67x
St Luke London 11 36.24x
Withycombe Rawleigh 11 536.59x
Bermondsey 10 17.75x
Reading St Giles 10 71.79x
Woodbury 9 769.23x
Bicester Market End 8 372.09x
Holy Trinity 8 17.74x
Kensington London 8 7.60x
Shoreditch London 8 9.75x
Crudwell 7 1428.57x
West Tisbury 6 1153.85x
Hackney London 4 3.77x
Oxford St Ebbe 4 116.28x
St Pancras London 4 2.63x
Ticehurst 4 205.13x
St Marylebone London 3 2.97x
Stoke Newington London 3 20.35x
Tidcombe Fosbury 3 1666.67x
Honiton 2 91.74x
Millbrook 2 20.47x
St Bride London 2 181.82x
Bath St James 1 31.45x
Bath St Peter St Paul 1 74.07x
Caversham 1 42.74x
East Woodhay 1 101.01x
Exeter Allhallows Onthe 1 555.56x
Gloucester St Catherine 1 95.24x
Lambeth 1 0.61x
Long Newnton 1 526.32x
Marlborough St Mary Virgin 1 84.75x
Putney 1 11.60x
Reading St Lawrence 1 32.89x
Reading St Mary 1 8.79x
Romsey Extra 1 43.29x
Scarborough 1 5.87x
Silverton 1 121.95x
Skelton In Guisbrough 1 19.72x
St Swithin Winchester 1 1000.00x
Stoke Damerel 1 3.63x
Walcot 1 6.17x
West Ham 1 1.21x
Westminster St Margaret 1 10.95x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Litten surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Litten surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 12
William 12
George 10
Henry 7
Thomas 5
Charles 4
Edwin 4
James 4
Alfred 3
Daniel 3
Richard 3
Robert 3
Walter 3
Frederick 2
Albert 1
Archibal 1
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
Danl.Parmer 1
Edward 1
Fredk. 1
Geoe. 1
Harry 1
Jas. 1
Jas.R. 1
Jesiah 1
Jonah 1
Percival 1
Randell 1
Samuel 1
Wm.Chas. 1

FAQ

Litten surname: questions and answers

How common was the Litten surname in 1881?

In 1881, 200 people were recorded with the Litten surname. That placed it at #12,836 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Litten surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016. That gives Litten a modern rank of #15,449.

What does the Litten surname mean?

A variant of the English surname Litton, originating from a place name.

What does the Litten map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Litten bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.