Little Family History

Little Surname Meaning

English: nickname for a small man (if not ironic) or distinguishing epithet for the younger of two bearers of the same personal name from Middle English littel Old English lȳtel (see Light).

Irish: translation into English of Gaelic Ó Beagáin ‘descendant of Beagán’ (see Began).

Americanized form (translation into English) of any of various European surnames meaning ‘little’ e.g. French Petit Polish Mały (see Maly).

Native American: translation into English (and shortening) of a personal name based on (or just composed of) a word meaning ‘little’ such as Navajo Hastiin Yázhí ‘Little Man’ (see Yazzie).

Compare Littleman and Shorty.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Littler, Tuttle, Litle, Spittle, Littles, Lyttle, Lile, Kettle, Litt, Litton

1M	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
112K	Military Records
72K	Immigration Records
743K	Census and Voter Lists
1M	Member Trees

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Little family from?

You can see how Little families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Little family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Little families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 2,005 Little families living in Cumberland. This was about 17% of all the recorded Little's in United Kingdom. Cumberland had the highest population of Little families in 1891.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Little surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Little

What did your Little ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General labourer and Unpaid domestic duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Little. 9% of Little men worked as a General labourer and 67% of Little women worked as an Unpaid domestic duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Little were Railway clerk and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Little

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

General labourer

Builders labourer

Farmer

Railway clerk

Unpaid domestic duties

67%

Unpaid domestic

Private means

Incapacitated

What Little family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 743K census records available for the last name Little. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Little census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Little

Passenger List

There are 72K immigration records available for the last name Little. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Little immigration records

Military Records

There are 112K military records available for the last name Little. For the veterans among your Little ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Little military records

You've only scratched the surface of Little family history

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What is the average Little lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Little life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Little in 1941 was 32, and 73 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Little family tree

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Little Surname Meaning

English: nickname for a small man (if not ironic) or distinguishing epithet for the younger of two bearers of the same personal name from Middle English littel Old English lȳtel (see Light).

Irish: translation into English of Gaelic Ó Beagáin ‘descendant of Beagán’ (see Began).

Americanized form (translation into English) of any of various European surnames meaning ‘little’ e.g. French Petit Polish Mały (see Maly).

Compare Littleman and Shorty.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Where is the Little family from?

What did your Little ancestors do for a living?

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

General labourer

Builders labourer

Farmer

Railway clerk

Unpaid domestic duties

67%

Unpaid domestic

Private means

Incapacitated

What Little family records will you find?

What is the average Little lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Little life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Little in 1941 was 32, and 73 in 2004.

Little Family History

Little Surname Meaning

3 million record(s) for Little

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Little family from?

What did your Little ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Little family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Little family history

What is the average Little lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Little family tree

Search for another surname

Little Surname Meaning

3 million record(s) for Little

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Little family from?

What did your Little ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Little family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Little family history

What is the average Little lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Little family tree

Search for another surname