2000
#5,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,403
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.00
Rare Last name
Petit
A French occupational surname referring to a person of small stature or a minor landowner or farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,140 Americans carry the last name Petit. That puts it at #5,409 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,005 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petit 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Petit with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,005
Census rank
#5,409
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,226 bearers of the surname Petit in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5409th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petit, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Hispanic (8.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petit
The surname Petit is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "petit" meaning "small" or "little." It is believed to have originated as a descriptive nickname referring to a person's physical stature or as a means of distinguishing between individuals with the same given name.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Petit can be traced back to the 11th century in various regions of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and Île-de-France. It is found in medieval records such as the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England and parts of Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Petit was particularly prevalent in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. Historical records from this period mention notable individuals bearing this surname, including Geoffroy Petit, a knight who fought in the Battle of Bouvines in 1214, and Jeanne Petit, a French heroine who played a crucial role in the defense of Rouen during the Hundred Years' War.
As the surname spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Petyt, Pettit, and Pettitt, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and scribal practices. In England, the name is often found as Pettit or Pettitt, while in Germany, it is sometimes spelled as Petit or Petith.
Several prominent figures throughout history have borne the surname Petit, including:
1. Jean Petit (c. 1360-1411), a French theologian and one of the leaders of the Burgundian faction during the Armagnac-Burgundian Civil War.
2. Pierre Petit (1594-1677), a French painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits.
3. Alexis Petit (1799-1859), a French mathematician and engineer who made significant contributions to the development of differential equations.
4. François Petit (1828-1890), a French astronomer and pioneer in the field of astrophotography.
5. Charles Petit (1832-1897), a French sculptor known for his monumental works and sculptures for public spaces.
The surname Petit has also been associated with various place names, such as Petitville in Normandy, Petit-Couronne in Seine-Maritime, and Petit-Réderching in Moselle, France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petit
Among Census respondents with the surname Petit, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Hispanic (8.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Petit 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 Petit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.7% · 4,152
- Black or African American21.0% · 1,307
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 510
- Two or more races2.7% · 170
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petit
Petit 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
#5,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,090
+687 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Up 177 places
2020
#5,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,226
+136 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Up 283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,869 | 5,403 | 2.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,692 | 6,090 | 2.06 | +687 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 177 places |
| 2020 | #5,409 | 6,226 | 2.08 | +136 bearers (+2.2%) | Up 283 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 Petit 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 | #5,692 | #5,409 | 5.0% |
| Count | 6,090 | 6,226 | 2.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.06 | 2.08 | 1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petit bearers went from 6,090 to 6,226 (+2.2% change). The surname moved up 283 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,692 to #5,409.
FAQ
Petit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petit?
Name Census estimates that about 7,140 living Americans carry the surname Petit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,005 residents.
How common is Petit?
Petit ranks #5,409 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,226 people with the surname Petit. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,140), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Petit.
Has Petit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petit went from 6,090 recorded bearers to 6,226. That is an increase of 136 (+2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,692 to #5,409.
What does the Census say about the background of Petit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petit, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Hispanic (8.2%). 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 Petit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.7% (4,152 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.7%), Black (21.0%), Hispanic (8.2%). 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 Petit (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 Petit mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a person of small stature or a minor landowner or farmer. 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 Petit (2.08 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 have the surname Petit?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.