NameCensus.

UK surname

Little

An English descriptive surname referring to a person of small stature or a nickname for the youngest son.

In the 1881 census there were 14,169 people recorded with the Little surname, ranking it #287 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 19,391, ranked #309, down from #287 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Carlisle St Cuthbert and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Carlisle, Allerdale and Langholm and Eskdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Little is 19,607 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 36.9%.

1881 census count

14,169

Ranked #287

Modern count

19,391

2016, ranked #309

Peak year

1999

19,607 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Little had 14,169 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #287 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 19,391 in 2016, ranked #309.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 17,519 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Little surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Little surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Little 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 9,312 #281
1861 historical 10,221 #251
1881 historical 14,169 #287
1891 historical 15,348 #276
1901 historical 17,519 #287
1911 historical 15,450 #313
1997 modern 18,801 #307
1998 modern 19,450 #309
1999 modern 19,607 #307
2000 modern 19,552 #305
2001 modern 19,069 #306
2002 modern 19,476 #306
2003 modern 19,029 #304
2004 modern 18,930 #307
2005 modern 18,529 #310
2006 modern 18,439 #311
2007 modern 18,633 #310
2008 modern 18,792 #308
2009 modern 19,225 #310
2010 modern 19,541 #311
2011 modern 19,244 #311
2012 modern 18,855 #312
2013 modern 19,328 #312
2014 modern 19,450 #311
2015 modern 19,403 #309
2016 modern 19,391 #309

Geography

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Where Littles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Carlisle St Cuthbert, Gateshead and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Carlisle, Allerdale and Langholm and Eskdale. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Carlisle St Cuthbert Cumberland
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Carlisle 010 Carlisle
2 Carlisle 001 Carlisle
3 Allerdale 001 Allerdale
4 Langholm and Eskdale Dumfries and Galloway
5 Carlisle 006 Carlisle

Forenames

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First names often paired with Little

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Little

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Little, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Little surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Little household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Little is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Little is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

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

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Little falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Little 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 Little, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Little

The surname LITTLE is an English surname derived from the Old English word "litel" or "lytel", meaning small or little. It is believed to have originated in the late 11th century as a descriptive name, likely referring to someone of diminutive stature or a younger sibling. The name was commonly found in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Lincolnshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LITTLE can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Littel" and "Litel" in various entries across different counties.

In the 13th century, the surname LITTLE appears in a number of historical records, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled as "Lytel" and "Littel". During this period, the name was also associated with certain place names, such as Little Parndon in Essex and Little Gaddesden in Hertfordshire.

Notable individuals bearing the surname LITTLE throughout history include Sir Richard LITTLE, a 14th-century English nobleman and military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War (c. 1320-1400). Another prominent figure was Thomas LITTLE, an English Puritan minister and one of the founders of the city of Newbury, Massachusetts, in the early 17th century (1597-1672).

In the 18th century, James LITTLE, a Scottish-born American surveyor and explorer, was instrumental in mapping and surveying the state of Georgia in the United States (1711-1781). Later, John LITTLE, an English author and poet, gained recognition for his works, including "The Poetical Works of John Little" (1803-1865).

In the 19th century, William John LITTLE, an English surgeon and orthopaedist, made significant contributions to the field of medicine and is known for his work on the treatment of clubfoot deformity, now known as Perthes' disease (1810-1894).

These are just a few examples of individuals bearing the surname LITTLE who have left their mark on history, demonstrating the surname's widespread presence and the diverse backgrounds of those who carried it.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Little families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Little 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. Cumberland leads with 2,002 Littles recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.83x.

County Total Index
Cumberland 2,002 16.83x
Middlesex 1,367 0.99x
Lancashire 1,236 0.75x
Dumfriesshire 789 25.85x
Durham 732 1.78x
Northumberland 687 3.34x
Yorkshire 656 0.48x
Lanarkshire 567 1.27x
Surrey 561 0.83x
Essex 479 1.76x
Gloucestershire 473 1.75x
Wiltshire 398 3.26x
Kent 302 0.64x
Roxburghshire 266 10.63x
Midlothian 235 1.27x
Cheshire 207 0.68x
Somerset 204 0.92x
Worcestershire 193 1.07x
Kirkcudbrightshire 168 8.40x
Hampshire 155 0.55x
Ayrshire 154 1.49x
Staffordshire 151 0.32x
Lincolnshire 142 0.64x
Renfrewshire 142 1.33x
Selkirkshire 131 10.48x
Berkshire 128 1.23x
Wigtownshire 123 6.70x
Devon 109 0.38x
Cornwall 105 0.67x
Warwickshire 88 0.25x
Sussex 86 0.37x
Norfolk 78 0.37x
Hertfordshire 74 0.78x
Westmorland 59 1.94x
Glamorgan 52 0.22x
Monmouthshire 52 0.52x
Peeblesshire 50 7.69x
Stirlingshire 47 0.92x
Angus 44 0.34x
Cambridgeshire 43 0.49x
Bedfordshire 42 0.59x
Buckinghamshire 42 0.50x
Dunbartonshire 42 1.13x
Nottinghamshire 41 0.22x
Herefordshire 39 0.69x
East Lothian 38 2.08x
Dorset 36 0.40x
Derbyshire 34 0.16x
Isle of Man 28 1.09x
Northamptonshire 27 0.21x
Shropshire 26 0.22x
Buteshire 25 2.99x
Huntingdonshire 20 0.73x
Fife 19 0.23x
Oxfordshire 19 0.22x
Channel Islands 15 0.37x
Leicestershire 14 0.09x
Perthshire 13 0.21x
Royal Navy 13 0.79x
Suffolk 13 0.08x
Caithness 12 0.63x
Montgomeryshire 8 0.25x
Sutherland 7 0.66x
Berwickshire 6 0.36x
Aberdeenshire 5 0.04x
Argyllshire 5 0.13x
Kincardineshire 5 0.30x
Morayshire 5 0.23x
Denbighshire 4 0.08x
Caernarfonshire 3 0.05x
Clackmannanshire 3 0.26x
Flintshire 3 0.08x
Rutland 3 0.30x
West Lothian 3 0.14x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.05x
Anglesey 1 0.04x
Banffshire 1 0.03x
Brecknockshire 1 0.04x
Cardiganshire 1 0.03x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.02x
Inverness-shire 1 0.02x
Kinross-shire 1 0.29x
Nairnshire 1 0.24x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 155 Littles recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.37x.

Place Total Index
Barony 155 1.37x
St Cuthbert W O 148 25.53x
Islington London 143 1.07x
Liverpool 132 1.33x
Govan 131 1.19x
Caldewgate 129 19.79x
Hackney London 121 1.56x
Langholm 116 52.89x
Arthuret 107 86.26x
Hawick 105 18.75x
Kensington London 103 1.34x
Lambeth 102 0.85x
St Pancras London 100 0.90x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 98 1.32x
Glasgow 91 1.15x
Everton 87 1.67x
Canonbie 83 64.00x
Bishopwearmouth 77 2.18x
Cheltenham 77 3.68x
Rickergate 72 28.61x
Holy Trinity 70 2.13x
Elswick 69 4.21x
West Derby 69 1.44x
Castleton 66 61.40x
Bethnal Green London 64 1.07x
Manchester 64 0.87x
Shoreditch London 63 1.05x
Brampton 62 38.02x
Gateshead 61 1.98x
St Marylebone London 60 0.81x
Barrow In Furness 58 2.60x
Moffat 58 41.64x
Camberwell 57 0.65x
Croydon 57 1.53x
Leeds 57 0.74x
Westgate 55 4.32x
Workington 55 8.08x
Toxteth Park 52 0.94x
Paddington London 49 0.96x
Preston 48 1.09x
Preston Quarter 48 14.40x
Mile End Old Town London 47 1.60x
Tottenham 46 2.09x
West Ham 46 0.76x
Crosscanonby 45 11.44x
Walcot 45 3.80x
Yeovil 45 9.96x
Bothwell 44 3.63x
Battersea 43 0.85x
Swindon 43 4.54x
Galashiels 42 9.09x
Trowbridge 42 7.78x
Barking 41 5.14x
Hayton 41 60.79x
Dudley 40 1.82x
Kingswinford 40 2.36x
Heworth 39 4.82x
Lambourn 39 37.95x
St Mary Within 39 26.25x
Ashton Under Lyne 38 1.06x
Hulme 38 1.11x
Newington 38 0.74x
Westoe 38 1.63x
Birmingham 37 0.32x
Dumfries 37 12.29x
Portsea 37 0.67x
Troqueer 37 14.10x
Brighton 36 0.77x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 36 1.41x
Dundee 36 0.75x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 36 2.02x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 36 2.93x
Selkirk 36 10.22x
Salford 35 0.73x
St Cuthbert Within 35 25.40x
Alston 34 15.51x
Lazonby 34 110.61x
Southwark St George Martyr 34 1.22x
Penrith 33 7.51x
Whitehaven 33 5.21x
Cumwhitton 32 134.79x
Kings Norton 32 1.98x
Wetheral 32 20.31x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 815
Elizabeth 457
Sarah 380
Jane 346
Margaret 257
Ann 218
Annie 169
Eliza 149
Ellen 149
Alice 120
Emma 112
Emily 111
Hannah 107
Isabella 102
Martha 81
Maria 68
Louisa 64
Florence 57
Agnes 56
Edith 55
Frances 55
Catherine 53
Harriet 49
Caroline 48
Kate 47
Fanny 45
Anne 41
Clara 40
Charlotte 39
Ada 38
Susan 33
Janet 32
Lucy 32
Jessie 31
Esther 28
Matilda 26
Rose 26
Amy 25
Eleanor 24
Rebecca 24
Elizth. 23
Lydia 21
Helen 19
Amelia 18
Harriett 18
Minnie 17
Ruth 17
Sophia 17
Gertrude 16
Julia 14

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 821
William 742
James 446
Thomas 438
George 359
Robert 249
Joseph 239
Henry 184
Charles 181
Edward 106
Alfred 103
Arthur 92
David 86
Richard 85
Walter 75
Frederick 71
Albert 56
Andrew 47
Samuel 46
Wm. 44
Harry 39
Archibald 36
Herbert 33
Christopher 32
Frank 31
Ernest 30
Isaac 27
Francis 26
Edwin 23
Alexander 21
Thos. 21
Matthew 20
Benjamin 19
Peter 17
Tom 17
Fred 16
Stephen 16
Abraham 15
Geo. 13
Hugh 12
Adam 11
Jacob 11
Fredk. 9
Fredrick 9
Michael 9
Chas. 8
Jno. 8
Patrick 8
Percy 8
Robt. 7

FAQ

Little surname: questions and answers

How common was the Little surname in 1881?

In 1881, 14,169 people were recorded with the Little surname. That placed it at #287 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Little surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 19,391 in 2016. That gives Little a modern rank of #309.

What does the Little surname mean?

An English descriptive surname referring to a person of small stature or a nickname for the youngest son.

What does the Little map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Little 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.