Petrona
A feminine name of Spanish and Latin origin meaning "enduring, everlasting".
Name Census estimates that about 369 living Americans carry the first name Petrona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Petrona today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Petrona births was 2024 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Petrona. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
369
~ 1 in 928,874 Americans
Peak year
2024
45 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,476
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Petrona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Petrona from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 132 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Petrona by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Petrona during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Petronas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Alabama, Florida, California recorded the most babies named Petrona, while California, Florida, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Petrona
The name Petrona has its origins in the Late Latin word "Petronia," which is derived from the Roman family name "Petronius." The name Petronius is believed to have been derived from the Latin word "petra," meaning "rock" or "stone." This suggests that the name Petrona may have originally been associated with strength, durability, or a connection to the natural world.
Petrona was a relatively common name among early Christian communities, particularly in the Mediterranean region. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 6th century, when a woman named Petrona lived in the Italian city of Aquileia. She was known for her piety and charitable works, and was later venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church.
In the Middle Ages, the name Petrona gained popularity in various parts of Europe, particularly in Spain and Italy. One notable figure from this period was Petrona de Braganza, a Portuguese noblewoman who lived in the 14th century. She was renowned for her devotion to charitable causes and founded several monasteries and hospitals.
During the Renaissance, the name Petrona continued to be used, though it was less common than other feminine names of the time. One notable bearer of the name was Petrona Riccia, an Italian painter who lived in the 16th century and was known for her religious works and portraits.
In the 18th century, Petrona Camilla Miglio was an Italian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the fields of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits. She was one of the few women of her time to achieve recognition in the sciences.
As the name Petrona spread across Europe, it also found its way to the Americas through Spanish and Portuguese colonization. In the late 18th century, Petrona Rosende de Sierra was a Cuban writer and poet who was celebrated for her literary works and her advocacy for women's education.
While the name Petrona has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, it continues to hold historical significance and resonance, particularly in regions where it has deep cultural roots. Its connection to strength, endurance, and natural elements has given it a lasting appeal throughout the centuries.
People
Petrona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Petrona as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Petrona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Petrona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 369 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Petrona going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 928,874 US residents.
Is Petrona a common name?
We classify Petrona as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 378 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Petrona most popular?
The single biggest year for Petrona was 2024, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Petrona is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Petrona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Petrona in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.