2000
#10,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,774
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Liddle
Derived from a place name meaning "little stream" or from the Old English word "lytel," meaning "little" or "small."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,175 Americans carry the last name Liddle. That puts it at #10,979 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,954 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Liddle surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Liddle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,954
Census rank
#10,979
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,769 bearers of the surname Liddle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10979th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Liddle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Liddle
The surname Liddle originated in England and Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "lytell" or "lidel," meaning small or little. This name was likely given as a nickname to someone of small stature or as a distinguishing feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Liddle can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Lidel" and "Lidela." This indicates that the name was already well-established in various parts of England by the 11th century.
The Liddle family was particularly prominent in Northumberland, where they held lands and estates. In the 13th century, records show a Robert de Lidel who owned property in the village of Liddesdale, which may have influenced the spelling of the surname.
During the 16th century, the name Liddle began to spread across Scotland, particularly in the Borders region. This was likely due to the movement of people between the two countries during times of conflict and unrest.
One notable figure bearing the Liddle surname was William Liddle (c. 1530-1589), a Scottish clergyman and writer who served as the minister of St. Michael's Church in Leith. He was known for his religious works and sermons.
In the 17th century, John Liddle (1624-1703) was a prominent English mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the study of navigation and published works on spherical trigonometry.
Another individual of note was Robert Liddle (1808-1886), a British engineer and inventor who played a crucial role in the development of early steam engines and railway locomotives.
Mary Liddle (1858-1939), a Scottish suffragette and activist, was a prominent figure in the women's suffrage movement in the early 20th century. She campaigned tirelessly for equal rights and representation for women.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, variations of the surname, such as Liddell and Liddle, continued to appear in various parts of the United Kingdom, with families tracing their ancestry back to different regions and periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Liddle
Among Census respondents with the surname Liddle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Liddle bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Liddle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 2,584
- Two or more races3.5% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
- Black or African American0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Liddle
Liddle appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,683
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,992
+218 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 80 places
2020
#10,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,769
-223 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 296 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,603 | 2,774 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,683 | 2,992 | 1.01 | +218 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 80 places |
| 2020 | #10,979 | 2,769 | 0.93 | -223 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 296 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Liddle surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,683 | #10,979 | -2.8% |
| Count | 2,992 | 2,769 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.93 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Liddle bearers went from 2,992 to 2,769 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 296 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,683 to #10,979.
FAQ
Liddle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Liddle?
Name Census estimates that about 3,175 living Americans carry the surname Liddle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,954 residents.
How common is Liddle?
Liddle ranks #10,979 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,769 people with the surname Liddle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,175), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Liddle.
Has Liddle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Liddle went from 2,992 recorded bearers to 2,769. That is a decrease of 223 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,683 to #10,979.
What does the Census say about the background of Liddle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Liddle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Liddle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (2,584 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Liddle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Liddle (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Liddle mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "little stream" or from the Old English word "lytel," meaning "little" or "small." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Liddle (0.93 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Liddle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.