Pettus
Derived from the Latin "pettius", meaning small or little one.
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Pettus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Pettus today is around 104 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pettus births was 1934 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pettus. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Pettus is about 104 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Pettus' were born before 1932.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Pettus. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1934
6 babies that year
Average age
104
years old
1934 SSA rank
#3,582
Tracked since 1934
Popularity
Pettus: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Pettus 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 Pettus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Pettus
The given name Pettus is believed to have originated from the Latin word "pectus," which translates to "chest" or "breast." It is thought to have been derived from a Roman surname, possibly a nickname for someone with a prominent chest or a strong, brave heart.
In the early centuries of the Christian era, the name Pettus was relatively uncommon, but it did appear in some historical records of the time. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Pettus Claudius Maximus, a Roman senator who lived in the late 2nd century AD.
As the Roman Empire spread its influence across Europe, the name Pettus traveled with it. It was particularly prevalent in regions like Italy, Spain, and France, where it took on various spellings and variations, such as Pettius, Pettius, and Pettez.
During the Middle Ages, the name Pettus was associated with nobility and military prowess. One notable figure was Sir Pettus Talbot, an English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France in the 14th century.
In the Renaissance period, the name Pettus gained popularity among scholars and intellectuals. Pettus Ramus, a French philosopher and logician who lived from 1515 to 1572, was a prominent figure of this era.
As time progressed, the name Pettus continued to be used across Europe, and it eventually made its way to the Americas. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the New World was Pettus Randolph, an English colonist who settled in Virginia in the 17th century.
Other notable individuals with the name Pettus throughout history include Pettus Byrd, an American Revolutionary War soldier (1742-1823), Pettus Perkins, a British explorer and cartographer (1768-1854), and Pettus Waldo, an American politician and lawyer (1817-1893).
People
Pettus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pettus 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
Pettus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pettus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pettus 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Pettus a common name?
We classify Pettus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pettus most popular?
The single biggest year for Pettus was 1934, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pettus is about 104 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Pettus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Pettus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pettus in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Pettus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Pettus in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Pettus can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Pettus?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Pettus at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.