Find out how popular the last name Petermann is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Petermann.

Petermann, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Petermann surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Petermann in America

Petermann is the 24431st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Petermann surname appeared 1,025 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Petermann.

We can also compare 2010 data for Petermann to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Petermann

The surname PETERMANN is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is a patronymic name, derived from the personal name Peter, which itself comes from the Greek word 'Petros,' meaning 'rock.' The suffix '-mann' is a German word meaning 'man' or 'person,' indicating that the name originally referred to a son or descendant of someone named Peter.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various German regional records and chronicles from the 13th and 14th centuries. During this time, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Pettermann, Peterman, or Petermannus, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the era.

One notable early bearer of the name was Johannes Petermann, a German monk and chronicler who lived in the late 15th century. His writings, which include detailed accounts of the events of his time, provide valuable insights into the history and culture of medieval Germany.

In the 16th century, the name PETERMANN gained prominence with the birth of Sebastian Petermann (1546-1627), a German mathematician and astronomer. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the Gregorian calendar, which is still in use today.

Another notable figure was August Petermann (1822-1878), a German cartographer and geographer who made significant contributions to the field of mapmaking. He founded the prestigious journal "Petermanns Geographische Mitteilungen," which became a leading publication for geographical research and exploration.

The name PETERMANN has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Petermannsfeld, a town in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Petermannschen, a village in the state of Hesse.

Other notable individuals with the surname PETERMANN include:

1. Ernst Petermann (1838-1915), a German geographer and explorer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions.
2. Reinhard Petermann (1892-1937), a German politician and member of the Nazi Party during the Third Reich.
3. Dorothea Petermann (1924-2008), a German writer and poet known for her works exploring themes of exile and displacement.
4. Gerd Petermann (born 1939), a German actor and theater director known for his roles in numerous television series and films.
5. Hans Petermann (1927-2010), a German businessman and philanthropist who founded the Petermann-Stiftung, a charitable foundation focused on education and social welfare.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Petermann

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Petermann.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Petermann was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Petermann has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Petermann was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Petermann, please contact us.

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