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Littlejohn History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Sources

Littlejohn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

Etymology of Littlejohn

What does the name Littlejohn mean?

The name Littlejohn was originally used to differentiate between two or more people bearing the name John. It was also thought to have been used ironically as a nickname for a person who was of large stature, as in the Robin Hood legends.

"As we have the surname of Robinhood, a sobriquet borrowed from the famous outlaw of Sherwood Forest, it is probable that this name has a similar origin from his famous compeer." 1

Early Origins of the Littlejohn family

The surname Littlejohn was first found in Dumbartonshire, where they held a family seat from early times. Some of the first records of the family include: Thomas Litilejonhe who was admitted burgess of Aberdeen in 1489, and Robert Litilihon possessed a tenement in Glasgow in 1494. Arthur Litiljohnne was in 1536 appointed "cordinar to oure soverane lord for all the dais of his life" (RSS., II, 2124), John Litiliohne was burgess of Hamilton in 1541 (LCD., p. 223), and fames Litle Johne was a "notar publict and sherefe clerk of Fyiffe" in 1648. 2

Early History of the Littlejohn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Littlejohn research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1521, 1530, 1542, 1562, 1581, 1583, 1584, 1601, 1619, 1633, 1676 and 1687 are included under the topic Early Littlejohn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Littlejohn Spelling Variations

In various documents Littlejohn has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. Littlejohn, Lytteljohn, Lyttlejohn and others.

Early Notables of the Littlejohn family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Littlejohn of Dumbartonshire

Littlejohn Ranking

In the United States, the name Littlejohn is the 2,235^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 3

Littlejohn migration to the United States +

Many who arrived from Scotland settled along the east coast of North America in communities that would go on to become the backbones of the young nations of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many settlers who remained loyal to England went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Their descendants later began to recover the lost Scottish heritage through events such as the highland games that dot North America in the summer months. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Littlejohn family emigrate to North America:

Littlejohn Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

George Littlejohn, who settled in Portsmouth New Hampshire in 1630

Littlejohn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Duncan and Elizabeth Littlejohn, who arrived in New York in 1775
Duncan Littlejohn, aged 38, who landed in New York in 1775 4

Littlejohn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Littlejohn, who landed in Maryland in 1803 4
John Littlejohn, who landed in Louisiana in 1810 4
Alexander Littlejohn, aged 16, who landed in New York, NY in 1834 4
David Littlejohn, aged 20, who arrived in New York, NY in 1834 4
James Littlejohn, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1849 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Littlejohn migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Littlejohn Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Peter Littlejohn U.E. who settled in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Penobscot Association 5
Mr. Thomas Littlejohn U.E. who settled in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Penobscot Association 5

Littlejohn migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Littlejohn Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Littlejohn, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 21st March 1801, sentenced for life, transported aboard the ship "Glatten" on 23rd September 1802 to New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Edwin Littlejohn, English convict who was convicted in Gloucestershire, England for life, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Hannah Littlejohn, aged 37, a dressmaker, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Constance" 8
Mary Littlejohn, aged 7, a child, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Constance" 8
Hannah Littlejohn, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Constance" in 1849 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Littlejohn migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Littlejohn Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Littlejohn, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1860 9
Mrs. Littlejohn, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1860 9
Mr. George Littlejohn, (b. 1824), aged 36, Scottish collier from Ayr travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "William Miles" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st August 1860 9
Mrs. Jeannie M Littlejohn, (b. 1836), aged 24, Scottish settler from Ayr travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "William Miles" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st August 1860 9
Miss Rachel Littlejohn, (b. 1855), aged 19, Scottish domestic servant, from Aberdeen travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 31st December 1874 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Littlejohn (post 1700) +

William C. "Bill" Littlejohn (1914-2010), American animator who worked on animated shorts and features in the 1930s through to the 1990s, notably Tom and Jerry shorts, Peanuts television specials, inducted into the Cartoon Hall of Fame
Angus C. Littlejohn Jr., American co-founder of Littlejohn & Co. is a private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout transactions in 1987
Hawk Littlejohn (1941-2000), American musician and carver of Native American flutes
DeWitt Clinton Littlejohn (1818-1892), American brevet brigadier general in the Union Army and a United States representative from New York during the Civil War
John Littlejohn (1756-1836), English-born, American tradesman, Methodist preacher and politician
Major-General Robert McGowan Littlejohn (1890-1982), American Commanding General American Graves Registration Command (1945-1946) 11
Dennis Gerald Littlejohn (b. 1954), American former Major League Baseball player
Richard Littlejohn (b. 1942), American singer/songwriter
Tamara Littlejohn (1944-2006), American actress and fashion model
Josh Littlejohn MBE, Scottish social entrepreneur, Sunday Times best selling author and homeless campaigner who founded charities the Social Bite and the Worldâ€™s Big Sleep Out
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Littlejohn family +

HMS Royal Oak

James Barnes Maxwell Littlejohn (d. 1939), British Telegraphist with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 12

RMS Titanic

Mr. Alexander James Littlejohn, aged 40, English Saloon Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 13 13

Sources +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CONSTANCE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Constance.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 2) Robert Littlejohn. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Littlejohn/Robert_McGowan/USA.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html