2000
#2,893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,383
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.22
Uncommon Last name
Littlejohn
A nickname-derived surname referring to a person of small stature or a youth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,102 Americans carry the last name Littlejohn. That puts it at #3,065 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,160 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Littlejohn 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 Littlejohn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,160
Census rank
#3,065
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,426 bearers of the surname Littlejohn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3065th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Littlejohn, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.2%. The next largest groups are White (41.7%) and Two or More Races (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Littlejohn
The surname Littlejohn originated in England and Scotland during the medieval period. It is a diminutive form of the personal name John, meaning "little John" or "young John." The name likely emerged as a way to distinguish between individuals with the common name John, particularly within families or communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Littlejohn can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a certain Richard Littlejohn is mentioned. In Scotland, the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document containing the names of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
The Littlejohn surname has its roots in various old English and Scottish place names, such as Littlejohn's Close in Edinburgh and Littlejohn's Wynd in Aberdeen. These place names suggest that the surname was well-established in these areas by the 16th and 17th centuries.
Notable individuals with the surname Littlejohn include:
1. John Littlejohn (c. 1495-1537), a Scottish clergyman and the first Protestant martyr in Scotland, who was burned at the stake for heresy.
2. Henry Littlejohn (1801-1891), a Scottish-born Australian politician and landowner who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.
3. William Littlejohn (1838-1905), a Scottish journalist and author known for his work on Scottish folklore and dialect.
4. Archibald Littlejohn (1856-1934), a Scottish physician and medical inspector who played a crucial role in improving public health in Scotland.
5. David Littlejohn (1865-1941), a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the oil industry and established the Littlejohn Scholarship Fund at the University of California, Berkeley.
While the Littlejohn surname has its origins in England and Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and migration patterns. However, the earliest recorded examples and historical references remain rooted in the British Isles, reflecting the name's medieval origins and its evolution over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Littlejohn
Among Census respondents with the surname Littlejohn, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.2%. The next largest groups are White (41.7%) and Two or More Races (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Littlejohn 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 Littlejohn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.2% · 5,165
- White41.7% · 4,759
- Two or more races7.3% · 832
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 371
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 243
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Littlejohn
Littlejohn 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
#2,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,047
+664 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 4.08
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#3,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,426
-621 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 3.82
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,893 | 11,383 | 4.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,976 | 12,047 | 4.08 | +664 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #3,065 | 11,426 | 3.82 | -621 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 89 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 Littlejohn 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 | #2,976 | #3,065 | -3.0% |
| Count | 12,047 | 11,426 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.08 | 3.82 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Littlejohn bearers went from 12,047 to 11,426 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,976 to #3,065.
FAQ
Littlejohn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Littlejohn?
Name Census estimates that about 13,102 living Americans carry the surname Littlejohn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,160 residents.
How common is Littlejohn?
Littlejohn ranks #3,065 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,426 people with the surname Littlejohn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,102), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Littlejohn.
Has Littlejohn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Littlejohn went from 12,047 recorded bearers to 11,426. That is a decrease of 621 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,976 to #3,065.
What does the Census say about the background of Littlejohn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Littlejohn, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.2%. The next largest groups are White (41.7%) and Two or More Races (7.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Littlejohn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.2% (5,165 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Littlejohn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (45.2%), White (41.7%), Two or More Races (7.3%). 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 Littlejohn (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 Littlejohn mean?
A nickname-derived surname referring to a person of small stature or a youth. 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 Littlejohn (3.82 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 are called Littlejohn?
See how common the surname Littlejohn is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.