2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Petelin
A Russian surname derived from the word "petelin" meaning "rooster" or "cockerel".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Petelin. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petelin 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
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Petelin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petelin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petelin
The surname PETELIN is of Slovenian origin, derived from the Slovenian word "petelín" which means "rooster" or "cock." The name likely originated in the 15th or 16th century in the Slovenian regions.
PETELIN is a relatively uncommon surname, but it can be found in historical records from Slovenia and neighboring areas. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the late 16th century, when a "Jurij Petelin" was mentioned in a church registry from the village of Škofja Loka in Slovenia.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various tax and census records from the Slovenian Lands, which were then part of the Habsburg Monarchy. For example, a "Lovrenc Petelin" was listed as a landowner in the village of Črnuče, near Ljubljana, in the year 1635.
The PETELIN surname is also found in some historical documents from the 18th and 19th centuries in the regions of modern-day Croatia and Austria, which were once part of the larger Slovenian cultural and linguistic territory. One notable bearer of the name was Franc Petelin (1785-1863), a Slovenian poet and writer from the town of Radovljica.
Another individual of note with this surname was Jakob Petelin (1792-1857), a Slovenian mathematician and professor who taught at the University of Graz in Austria. In the late 19th century, a "Josip Petelin" was recorded as a village mayor in the Slovenian Littoral region, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Throughout the 20th century, the PETELIN surname continued to be found in various records from Slovenia, as well as in Croatian and Austrian regions with Slovenian populations. One notable bearer of the name in more recent times was Stanko Petelin (1915-2000), a Slovenian artist and sculptor whose works are featured in several museums and public spaces in Slovenia.
While not an extremely widespread surname, PETELIN has a long and distinct history rooted in the Slovenian language and cultural regions of Central Europe. Its origins can be traced back several centuries, and it has been borne by individuals of various professions and backgrounds throughout the years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petelin
Among Census respondents with the surname Petelin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Petelin 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 Petelin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 114
- Two or more races4.9% · 6
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petelin
Petelin 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-10 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,456 places
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+10 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,728 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 18,456 places |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 6,728 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 Petelin 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 | #147,253 | #140,525 | 4.6% |
| Count | 112 | 122 | 8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petelin bearers went from 112 to 122 (+8.9% change). The surname moved up 6,728 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #140,525.
FAQ
Petelin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petelin?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Petelin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Petelin?
Petelin ranks #140,525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 122 people with the surname Petelin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Petelin.
Has Petelin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petelin went from 112 recorded bearers to 122. That is an increase of 10 (+8.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Petelin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petelin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Black (0.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Petelin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petelin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Black (0.8%). 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 Petelin (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 Petelin mean?
A Russian surname derived from the word "petelin" meaning "rooster" or "cockerel". 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 Petelin (0.04 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 common is the surname Petelin?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Petelin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.