Surname Littlewood - Meaning and Origin
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Littlewood: What does the surname Littlewood mean?
The last name Littlewood is of English origin. It is a topographic name for someone who lived in a small wood or a clearing in a wood. It is a habitational name that was derived from various places named with the Old English personal name Lilla, and wudu which means wood or woodlands. It is thought that the first bearer of this name was someone who lived near such a place, most likely a wood plot of land owned by the local Lord or by a religious institution.
The Littlewood family can be traced back to the 12th century in the county of Sussex. Later they would move to many different regions of England and can be found in many old records and documents.
Today, the surname Littlewood is found all over the English-speaking world, especially in places that have had strong links to England such as Australia, Canada, and the United States. The surname is also often spelled as Littlewood, Littledale, Littledall, Liutwood, Luta and Littlebelt.
The Littlewood name is associated with a person of strength and determination. It can symbolize someone who is resilient and has the will to make good out of any bad situation.
Order DNA origin analysisLittlewood: Where does the name Littlewood come from?
The last name Littlewood is most commonly found in the United Kingdom today, particularly in England.
Available records suggest the family name dates back to at least the 12th century, when the Littlewood family was recorded in Yorkshire. Details of the family can be found in the public records of the Warwickshire County.
The Littlewoods had scattered far and wide across England since the 1400s, with many believed to have settled in Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Lancashire, and London. Today, the Littlewoods are still much more common in certain parts of the country, particularly the northwest and East Midlands of England.
Census data from the turn of the century found Littlewoods concentrated in the historic county of Lancashire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire. A large number of Littlewoods also lived in Liverpool, the largest port in Britain.
Since the 20th century, the Littlewoods began to expand further into parts of Europe. According to records, the name Littlewood was spotted in Germany, the Netherlands, France, and other countries.
Littlewoods are still quite common in their traditional stomping ground in England today. Although the migrations have thinned their concentration in this area, the number of Littlewoods remains consistent with many people living in and around the old family homes.
Variations of the surname Littlewood
Littlewood is an English surname derived from dwellings or localities associated with small amounts of wood. Variants of the surname include Litlewood, Lytlewood, Littewude, Littewell, Littelwood and Littellewood.
The spelling of Littlewood has changed over its history, with different records reflecting different versions. For example, Littlewood has been spelled Litellwode, Lytlewood, Lyttlewood, and Lytelwood. The earliest recorded spelling was in 1296, when William de Lytlewode appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Devon.
The geographical distribution of the surname Littlewood is mainly concentrated in England, although it is also common in Wales, Scotland and in other parts of the world.
Other spellings of Littlewood are popular in many countries around the world. In the United States, some of the variants of Littlewood are Lytle, Litle, Litel, Lytel, and Littel. Similarly, some variants of the surname in Canada are Lytel, Lytle, and Littel.
In Australia, some of the variants for Littlewood include Littelwood, Lytlewood, Littelwood, Lytlewood, and Litelwood. Similarly, in New Zealand variants include Lyttellwood, Lytelwood, and Littelwood.
In Ireland, the variants of the surname Littlewood are spelled Littlewood, Lyttlewood, Littelwood, and Lytelwood. Lastly, in Scotland variants include Liddlewood, Littlewood, Lytlewood, and Liddleswaite.
Famous people with the name Littlewood
- Jocelyn Bell Burnell: Jocelyn Bell Burnell is an astrophysicist from Britain who won the 2018 Breakthrough Prize in fundamental physics for her discovery of the first radio pulsars in 1967.
- Charles Littlewood: A British mathematician and winner of the 1957 De Morgan Medal for his contribution to combinatorial geometry.
- Paul Littlewood: A British physicist working in low temperature and condensed matter physics who was the director of the Centre for Materials Research from 2003 to 2007 at the Cavendish Laboratory.
- Anne Littlewood: The wife of the famous mathematician Charles Littlewood, Anne is also an accomplished mathematician who was a member of the British Mathematical Olympiad team in 1961.
- Philip Littlewood: A British television producer and actor known for his work on the crime thriller series Killing Time and as a judge for the BBC2 series The Great British Bake Off.
- Kerri Littlewood: Renowned British actress who was part of the original cast of the hit show Emmerdale.
- Martin Littlewood: Martin Littlewood is the president of the British Horseracing Authority.
- Maria Littlewood: British author known for her children's books, including The Witch Baba Yaga and The Rusalka and The Silver Bough.
- Gertrude Littlewood: A British plant morphologist, and author, known for her monographs on the structure of the garden rose and species of woody plants.