Little Name Study

Profile managers: One Name Studies WikiTree [send private message] and Julian Little [send private message]

Click on Little Name Study link above to find all current locational Little Name Study categories/profiles. Alternatively, see locational sub-project pages by clicking on the relevant links below:

United States of America

United Kingdom & Ireland

Germany

Australia & New Zealand

This is a One Name Study to collect together in one place everything about one surname and the variants of that name. The hope is that other researchers like you will join our study to help make it a valuable reference point for people studying lines that cross or intersect. Please contact the project leader, add categories to your profiles, add your questions to the bulletin board, add details of your name research, etc.

This is a project that I hope will become a valuable reference point for any Little researchers to share their knowledge and assist the understandings of the various origins of the Little name. Please see below for ways you can help.

Please join by contacting the project leader, Julian Little. See the section on our goals and what you can do below. Post questions and comments to the bulletin board and add details about your particular area of interest.

Our Goals

The purpose of this study is to bring together any descendants of the Little family who are willing to work together to establish an accurate Little Family tree by using the best possible sources available for documentation to make new connections. There are many spelling variations, such as Lytle, and Littell. We also need to find out if any of those families with names spelled closely to our own are related.

Although DNA analysis can assist in determining that two or more participants who have tested their yDNA descend from a common male ancestor, it will not identify the specific ancestor without the use of accurate record documentation used in genealogical research. Currently, there is a Little DNA Study registered at Family Tree DNA. However, to fully understand the origins of the Little surname, we particularly need more males by the name to test their yDNA for analysis and register their information with that project.

What You Can Do

1. Work co-operatively together with other Little profile managers to create the best Little tree possible.
2. Add the category for Little Name Study to relevant profiles. (The Project Manager, Julian Little can send you further guidance on how to do this correctly upon request).
3. Search out original rather than derivative documentation and add sources to Little profiles.
4. Write comprehensive, well-sourced biographies. See Biographies.
5. Contact one of the Assistant Project Managers, Jane Lindsey, Leake Little, Chris Little, if you would like to help with any of the relevant sub-projects mentioned in the text below.
6. If you are a male with the Little surname or a variant and haven't already, please consider testing your yDNA through Family Tree DNA so that we can all have a better understanding of our heritage and possibly make new discoveries. The Little Surname DNA Project Leads can provide guidance and alert you to upcoming sales. Contact Jane Lindsey .
7. Register your DNA results on with Little DNA Study Worldfamiles at Family Tree DNA.
8. Check for duplicates and request merges. See Merging.
9. Adopt Little profiles in your location see [Little Adoptions].
10. Consider joining the Wikitree Profile Improvement and/or Connectors projects with a focus on Little profiles and trees.
11. Do you have a Little profile you are especially proud of? Let Julian Little know and we may feature it on this page. We can also post resources, pictures, stories, and anything else of interest to this surname if you let us know.
12. Contact Alison to request PPP status for those profiles that meet the criteria for project protection. See Project protection This will protect them from an incorrect merge.

Name Varieties - The truth of our origins is in our DNA

With a number of spelling variations, including Little, Liddle, Lytle, Litle, Littel, Littell, Littles, Lyttle, and Klein, DNA comparisons have become the only reliable way to track down distant branches of the family. If you have already had your DNA tested for your comparison please add the details to your own Wikitree ID page.

You can then find Little's DNA test information where they have recorded their tests on WikiTree here : [Little DNA Results]

Other questions will arise such as those from Leake Little who would like to learn whether Malcolm Little (aka Malcolm X) carried a Little-Y haplogroup?

If you have ancestors with similar sounding names, you could be a member of the Little families! Please consider joining this study. We need you!

What Is Their Country of Origin?

Ideally, some of our collective goals may be assisted by knowing the country of origin for your Little lines. Can you help?

For example:

Jane Lindsey would like to prove the US connection to the Wiltshire, UK Little line.

Leake Little would like to discover a potential territory origin in Southwestern Scotland for the Border Little family line.

Chris Little (from Cumberland) would also like to discover Littles the other side of the Border in Dumfriesshire and Galloway.

Chris Little would also like to research the economic pressures on Littles in NW England and SW Scotland after the act of Union, perhaps until the advent of the railways (1835 Carlisle to Newcastle), leading to the migrations away, whether to Teeside, or the Americas.

Leake Little would also like to understand the connection (or not) of the Edinburgh Little family branch and the Halliburtons or Border Little family lines.

Julian Little would like to know the earliest Little’s in Cornwall, England and, if possible, where they originated from prior to that. He suspects it could be another county in England, Scotland or Ireland but has found no clues yet.

If you can or would like to help with any of the above sub-projects please contact us?

Early Known Immigrants By the Name

Finding the earliest immigrants to countries such as America, Australia, etc is extremely useful. If you know the earliest immigrants for your lines with good sources please consider joining this study. We need you!

In particular, Jane Lindsey would like to document all the Colonial Little lines.

If you can or would like to help with this sub-project please contact us?