2000
#10,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,805
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Partee
Derived from Middle English "parti," referring to a person who takes part in something or is partial toward something.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,335 Americans carry the last name Partee. That puts it at #10,524 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,775 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Partee surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 102,775
Census rank
#10,524
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,908 bearers of the surname Partee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10524th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Partee, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.6%. The next largest groups are White (36.2%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Partee
The surname Partee is believed to have originated in France, with its earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old French word "pertuis," meaning a small opening or passage, referring to someone who lived near a natural pass or opening in the landscape.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a manuscript from the 12th century, which mentions a "Robertus de Pertuiso" (Robert of the Pass). This suggests that the name was initially used as a descriptive surname, identifying individuals by their proximity to a specific geographic feature.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Pertuis, Pertees, and Pertees, reflecting the evolution of spelling and pronunciation over time. One notable individual from this period was Geoffroy Pertees, a knight who participated in the Seventh Crusade in 1248.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent further transformations, leading to the emergence of variant spellings like Party, Partey, and eventually, Partee. In the 14th century, the name can be found in English records, likely introduced by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Partee spelling in England can be traced back to the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, which mentioned a "Willelmus Partee." This suggests that the surname had become more established in its current form by the early 14th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Partee. One such figure was Sir John Partee (1518-1592), an English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another was Captain William Partee (1635-1701), a renowned privateer and naval officer who played a significant role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars.
In the 18th century, Reverend Samuel Partee (1712-1786) was a prominent Anglican clergyman and author, known for his religious writings and sermons. During the American Revolutionary War, Colonel Thomas Partee (1740-1816) served as a distinguished officer in the Continental Army.
Lastly, in the 19th century, author and poet Elizabeth Partee (1820-1898) gained recognition for her literary works, including her acclaimed collection of poetry, "Echoes from the Hills."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Partee
Among Census respondents with the surname Partee, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.6%. The next largest groups are White (36.2%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Partee bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Partee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.6% · 1,589
- White36.2% · 1,054
- Two or more races5.3% · 154
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Partee
Partee appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,633
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,369
+564 bearers (+20.1%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 871 places
2020
#10,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,908
-461 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 891 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,504 | 2,805 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,633 | 3,369 | 1.14 | +564 bearers (+20.1%) | Up 871 places |
| 2020 | #10,524 | 2,908 | 0.97 | -461 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 891 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Partee surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,633 | #10,524 | -9.2% |
| Count | 3,369 | 2,908 | -13.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 0.97 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Partee bearers went from 3,369 to 2,908 (-13.7% change). The surname moved down 891 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,633 to #10,524.
FAQ
Partee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Partee?
Name Census estimates that about 3,335 living Americans carry the surname Partee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,775 residents.
How common is Partee?
Partee ranks #10,524 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,908 people with the surname Partee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,335), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Partee.
Has Partee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Partee went from 3,369 recorded bearers to 2,908. That is a decrease of 461 (-13.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,633 to #10,524.
What does the Census say about the background of Partee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Partee, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.6%. The next largest groups are White (36.2%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Partee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.6% (1,589 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Partee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (54.6%), White (36.2%), Two or More Races (5.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Partee (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Partee mean?
Derived from Middle English "parti," referring to a person who takes part in something or is partial toward something. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Partee (0.97 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Partee?
You can see how common the surname Partee is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.