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

Petersburg, 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 Petersburg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Petersburg in America

Petersburg is the 127494th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Petersburg surname appeared 134 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 Petersburg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Petersburg 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 Petersburg

The surname Petersburg is an English locational surname derived from the city of St. Petersburg in Russia. The name St. Petersburg was originally derived from the Russian words "Sankt-Peterburg," meaning "Saint Peter's Town." The city was founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter the Great, who named it after his patron saint, St. Peter.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Petersburg date back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, shortly after the founding of the city. As the city grew in prominence, particularly during the reign of Catherine the Great, it attracted settlers and immigrants from various parts of Europe, including England. Some of these individuals likely adopted the surname Petersburg as a way of identifying their place of origin or residence.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Petersburg was Johann Christian Petersburg, a German-born architect who lived from 1757 to 1828. He worked extensively in St. Petersburg and was involved in the construction of several notable buildings in the city, including the Mikhailovsky Palace and the Mikhailovsky Castle.

Another prominent figure with the surname Petersburg was Sir John Petersburg (1789-1857), a British diplomat and member of the Russian Imperial Academy of Sciences. He served as the British ambassador to Russia from 1835 to 1841 and played a significant role in fostering diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Petersburg was John Petersburg (1822-1898), a German-born immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the mid-19th century. He worked as a farmer and was active in local politics, serving as a township supervisor and school board member.

Other notable individuals with the surname Petersburg include:

1. William Petersburg (1842-1912), a British soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest military honor in the British Empire, for his actions during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.

2. Anna Petersburg (1868-1946), a Russian-born painter who was part of the Peredvizhniki (Wanderers) movement and is known for her portraits and genre scenes depicting everyday life in Russia.

3. Heinrich Petersburg (1901-1986), a German-born mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the fields of group theory and quantum mechanics.

4. Olga Petersburg (1923-2001), a Russian-American ballet dancer and choreographer who performed with the Ballets Russes and later established her own dance company in New York City.

5. Mikhail Petersburg (1947-2022), a Russian writer and journalist who published several novels and short story collections exploring themes of Soviet and post-Soviet life.

While the surname Petersburg is not as common as some other locational surnames, it has a rich history tied to the city of St. Petersburg and its cultural and historical significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Petersburg

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

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 Petersburg 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 Petersburg 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 Petersburg was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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