2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Petenbrink
A locational surname derived from a Dutch place name referring to a peat bog or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Petenbrink. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petenbrink 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Petenbrink in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petenbrink, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petenbrink
The surname PETENBRINK has its origins in the Low German language spoken in northern Germany and the Netherlands. It likely emerged in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. The name is thought to derive from the Low German words "peten" meaning "small" and "brink" referring to a small hill or raised area of land, suggesting the name may have originally referred to someone living on a small hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the church records of the town of Lingen in Lower Saxony, Germany, where a Johannes Petenbrink was mentioned in 1487. In the 16th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Pettenbrink, Pettenbrynck, and Pettenbrynke in records from the Westphalia region of Germany.
The PETENBRINK name can be traced to several notable individuals throughout history. In the 17th century, Johann Petenbrink (1628-1701) was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bremen. His son, also named Johann Petenbrink (1662-1732), was a respected jurist and served as a judge in the same city.
In the 18th century, Heinrich Petenbrink (1702-1768) was a Lutheran pastor in the town of Lübeck, and his son, Johann Friedrich Petenbrink (1745-1819), was a renowned mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
Moving into the 19th century, Carl Petenbrink (1812-1892) was a German-born landscape painter who emigrated to the United States and became known for his depictions of the American West. His works can be found in various museums and galleries across the country.
While the name PETENBRINK originated in northern Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond through migration and diaspora. The name continues to be associated with its Germanic roots and the historical significance of its bearers in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petenbrink
Among Census respondents with the surname Petenbrink, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Petenbrink 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 Petenbrink surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 107
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petenbrink
Petenbrink 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
#117,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
+9 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,357 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-38 bearers (-25.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 31,966 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117,480 | 148 | 0.05 | +9 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 1,357 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -38 bearers (-25.7%) | Down 31,966 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 Petenbrink 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 | #117,480 | #149,446 | -27.2% |
| Count | 148 | 110 | -25.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -26.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petenbrink bearers went from 148 to 110 (-25.7% change). The surname moved down 31,966 positions in the national ranking, going from #117,480 to #149,446.
FAQ
Petenbrink surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petenbrink?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Petenbrink. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Petenbrink?
Petenbrink ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Petenbrink. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Petenbrink.
Has Petenbrink become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petenbrink went from 148 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 38 (-25.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #117,480 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Petenbrink?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petenbrink, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Petenbrink in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petenbrink appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Two or More Races (1.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Petenbrink (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 Petenbrink mean?
A locational surname derived from a Dutch place name referring to a peat bog or meadow. 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 Petenbrink (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 many people share the surname Petenbrink?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.