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

Petite, 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 Petite surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Petite in America

Petite is the 26873rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Petite surname appeared 904 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 Petite.

We can also compare 2010 data for Petite 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 Petite

The surname Petite has its origins in France, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "petit," meaning "small" or "little." The name likely originated as a nickname given to someone of short stature or as a description of someone's physical appearance.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Petite can be found in medieval French records and documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. One notable early record is the Livre des Métiers, a book compiled in Paris in 1268, which lists various professions and includes the name "Jehan le Petit."

In the 14th century, the surname Petite appeared in the "Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres," a collection of charters and documents from the Abbey of Saint-Père in Chartres, France. This record mentions a "Guibert le Petit" in 1348.

During the Renaissance period, the surname Petite gained prominence with the French humanist and philosopher, Petrus Petitus (1494-1557), also known as Pierre Petit. He was a renowned scholar and author of several works on philosophy and theology.

In the 17th century, the French mathematician and astronomer, Pierre Petit (1598-1677), made significant contributions to the field of optics and is credited with the invention of the micrometer. He is also known for his work on the theory of comets and his observations of the transit of Venus.

Another noteworthy figure with the surname Petite was the French painter and engraver, Jean-Baptiste Petitot (1607-1691), who was renowned for his intricate enamel miniature portraits of members of the French royal court.

In the 18th century, the French explorer and navigator, François Petit (1711-1789), led several expeditions to the Pacific Ocean and made important contributions to the mapping of the coastlines of Australia and New Zealand.

The surname Petite has also been associated with several places in France, such as the village of Petite-Île in Normandy and the commune of Petite-Rosselle in the Grand Est region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Petite

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

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

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

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