SMALL
The surname Small is of both English and Scottish origin, appearing in early medieval records across the British Isles.
Its etymology can be traced to the Middle English word smal, a diminutive form of the Old English pre‑7th century word smael, meaning "slender" or "small." This linguistic root suggests that the name was initially a descriptive nickname applied to an individual of diminutive stature or a smaller dwelling, rather than a family name in the modern sense.
In the Middle Ages, the surname functioned as a personal descriptive label, occasionally used to distinguish between persons sharing the same given name within a local community. The nickname may also have reflected a Chaucerian tradition of affectionate inversions, whereby a diminutive was attributed to a person of great capability.
Several orthographic variants of the name appear in historical documents, including Smale), Smaile, the diminutives Smalin and Smallin, the patronymic forms Smalls and Smales, as well as Smailes and related spellings. These variations point to a common root recognised across both England and Scotland.
The earliest extant record of a bear‑er of the name is found in the Assize Court Rolls of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where a William Smale is noted in 1221, during the reign of King Henry XI. Subsequent early entries include a William Smale in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275 and a Richard Small, a canon at Glasgow, mentioned in 1329.
In the city of London, the name continues to surface in church registers: Agnes Smalle married John Cowper on 5 July 1545 at St Stephan’s, Coleman Street, and John Smalling wed Isabell Jones on 1 June 1561 at St Leonard’s Eastcheap. These records illustrate the name’s continued usage throughout the late fourteenth and early sixteenth centuries.
During the nineteenth century, a famine‑emigrant denoted as Patrick Small, aged 31, departed from Liverpool aboard the vessel Siddons bound for New York on 28 March 1846, thereby marking the first documented appearance of the name in the United States.
A heraldic description associated with the Small family depicts a blue shield bearing a gold chevron situated between three silver martlets. This coat of arms, while not universally adopted, provides a visual representation of the name’s patronymic heritage.
Collectively, the recorded history of the Small surname reflects a long-standing tradition rooted in descriptive nicknames, extending across England and Scotland and persisting into modern times through documented familial records and heraldic emblems. The usage of the name remains linked to its original linguistic and cultural origins, as substantiated by contemporary evidence.
Typical given names associated with the Small surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
- William
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jane
- Joanne
- Karen
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Smale
- Smail
- Smal
- Smaill
- Smaillie
- Smaili
- Smaali
- Smails
- Smalle
- Cemal
- Cemil
- Cimelli
- Samal
- Samala
- Samali
- Samel
- Samela
- Samele
- Samil
- Samila
- Samli
- Sammel
- Sammell
- Sammuel
- Samoila
- Samol
- Samouel
- Samouelle
- Samual
- Samuel
- Samuell
- Samul
- Samule
- Seamell
- Seammel
- Seammell
- Semal
- Semel
- Semell
- Semilia
- Semla
- Semle
- Semmel
- Semmell
- Semuel
- Simal
- Simel
- Simela
- Simell
- Simeoli
- Simioli
- Simla
- Simlo
- Simmel
- Simmell
- Simmill
- Simula
- Smaile
- Smailie
- Smales
- Smaley
- Smalis
- Smallen
- Smaller
- Smalles
- Smalley
- Smallie
- Smallin
- Smalls
- Smally
- Smals
- Smalt
- Smauel
- Smeal
- Smeale
- Smeall
- Smealy
- Smeele
- Smel
- Smela
- Smele
- Smell
- Smelley
- Smellie
- Smelly
- Smelue
- Smiel
- Smila
- Smile
- Smilie
- Smill
- Smille
- Smillie
- Smol
- Smola
- Smole
- Smoll
- Smolle
- Smul
- Smyl
- Smyle
- Smylie
- Smyllie
- Somal
- Somel
- Somlai
- Somlo
- Sommella
- Soomal
- Soumal
- Sumal
- Sumel
- Sumila
- Sumile
- Summall
- Summel
- Suomela
- Szmul
- Szumilo
- Szymala
- Szymula
- Zamal
- Zameel
- Zamel
- Zamil
- Zemel
- Zemla
- Zemmel
- Zumla
- Zymela
- Zymla
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Small in...
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There are approximately 15,792 people named Small in the UK. That makes it the 558th most common surname in Britain. Around 243 in a million people in Britain are named Small.
Surname type: Nickname
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Small
- Heather Small - Vocalist
- Sharon Small - Actress
- Gladstone Small - Cricket player of England.
- Leroy Small - Drum and bass DJ
- Anthony Small - Boxer
- Bryan Small - Football player
- Mike Small - Football player
- John Small - Cricketer (1737 to 1826)
- Chris Small - Scottish snooker player
- John Small - Army general (1726 to 1796)
- Annie H. Small - (1857 to 1945)
- William Small - Politician (1909 to 1978)
- Lewis Small - Football player
- Jack Small - Football player (1889 to 1946)
- Len Small - Former professional football player (1920 to 2009)
- Thomas Small - Football player (1907 to 1)
- Vernon Small - New Zealand chess International Master
- John Small - Scottish physician, Deputy Surgeon General (1823 to 1879)
- Rhonda Small - Australian film director (1925 to 2014)
- Alexander Sym Small - (1887 to 1944)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.