The Littleton surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 9,939 people carried this name — #3,581 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 29,700 people counted. That is up 1% from 9,829 in 2000.

See Littleton on the map Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Littleton surname

A habitational surname from Old English.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Littleton» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Littleton’.

An early record he cites: Michael de Lutelton, Wiltshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 489 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Littleton was found among the farmers of Cornwall: 20 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cornwall 20

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

18 families named Littleton, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 100 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

North Carolina 8
Maryland 4
South Carolina 4
Connecticut 1
New York 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 250 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Littleton in American newspapers,
1856–1911.

Newspaper page from Montgomery County Sentinel carrying the name Littleton
Montgomery County Sentinel 1856-03-29
Newspaper page from Gainesville Daily Sun carrying the name Littleton
Gainesville Daily Sun 1908-01-20
Newspaper page from Baptist Courier carrying the name Littleton
Baptist Courier 1911-08-03

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 131,735 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Littleton in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

9,872 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Littleton. The most, 1,269, date from the 1920s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 3.2 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 5,950
Victoria 2,060
New South Wales 839
Western Australia 376
Tasmania 336
South Australia 276
ACT (Canberra) 19
Northern Territory 6

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Littleton.

Who carried it

People named Littleton,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Littleton d. 1722 · politician
  • Edward Littleton d. 1622 · politician
  • Ida Guendolen Littleton, Lady Hatherton d. 1969
  • Sir Edward Littleton, 3rd Bt. d. 1741
  • Sheila Miriam Couldrey d. 1984
  • Lucy Veronica Salmon d. 1979

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Littleton,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States615 records

615 records of the Littleton name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 351
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 122
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 51
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 38
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 18
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 16
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 8
  • Sacramento County historic burials 6
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Jerome T. Littleton

    Born 1907 in Missouri. Enlisted 1942 at Jefferson Barracks; watchman from Greene County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1988, buried at Springfield National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Richard William Littleton

    Born 1949; from Cincinnati, Ohio. U.S. Army, infantryman; died in an accident 1970 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Hanah Littleton

    Arrived at New York in 1864 aboard the Sidon from Liverpool, aged 26; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 615 records for Littleton in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia197 records

197 records of the Littleton name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 69
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 69
  • Tasmanian Names Index 30
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 23
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 5
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Daniel Littleton

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Hero, arriving 1835; ticket of leave 1843.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas Littleton

    Arrived in Victoria in 1855 aboard the Blue Jacket, aged 53; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Timothy Littleton

    Public servant of St Kilda, Victoria; died 1922.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 197 records for Littleton in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada4 records

4 records of the Littleton name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Annie M. Littleton

    Buried in 1961 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Cecil Omar Littleton

    Died in service in 1945.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Jacelen Littleton

    Buried in 1969 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 4 records for Littleton in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Littleton name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record T. W. Littleton

    Ie of Cornwall's Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. H. Littleton

    Border Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Littleton name in New Zealand Marlborough District cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Littleton

    Died 1939, aged 75; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Littleton name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record John Littleton

    Born 1922 in the United States; died 1998 in Reims (Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Littleton name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Edwart Littleton

    Married in 1630 in Bergen op Zoom; born in England.

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Littleton.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Littleton is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Littleton volume
Scroll to Top