Little
A very common English surname originally used as a nickname for a small person, or sometimes as a contrastive name for someone younger or shorter than another.
The #291 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,914 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name comes from Old English \u201cl\u013ctel\u201d, meaning \u201clittle\u201d or \u201csmall.\u201d In surname use, it was usually a nickname for a person of small stature, much like French Le Petit or German Klein. In some cases it may also have been used more loosely to distinguish a younger or lesser member of a family or household.
History
Little is well established in medieval English records and has remained a common surname in Britain, Ireland, and especially the United States. Because the word is so plain and widespread, it also appears in many compound place- and habitational surnames such as Littlewood, Littleton, Littlefield, and Littleford. Its simplicity has made it one of the most persistent English surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower noted that the element "little" shows up so often in English place and family names that it became one of the most productive surname-building words in the language.
From the historical record
“LITT. O. E. lite, little. LITTLE. 1. A person of diminutive stature. Like the Fr. Le Petit, the Germ. Klein, &c. 2. Perhaps the same as Lid- dell. BELITTLE. This word enters A^ery fre- quently into our local and family names ; e. g. Littleford, Littlefield, Littlewood, Littleworth, Littleton. LITTLEBOYS. See…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom