2000
#11,928
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,404
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Petitt
A variant of the French surname "Petit," meaning "small" or "little," likely referring to a person's stature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,808 Americans carry the last name Petitt. That puts it at #12,151 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,064 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petitt 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 Petitt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 122,064
Census rank
#12,151
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,449 bearers of the surname Petitt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12151st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petitt
The surname Petitt is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "petit," meaning "small" or "little." It is believed to have emerged as a descriptive nickname for someone of short stature or a younger son or child.
The earliest known record of the Petitt surname can be traced back to the 12th century in Normandy, France. The name appeared in various spellings, such as Petit, Petitt, Pettit, and Pettitt, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that time.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Petitt surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name is listed as "Petitus" in the records, indicating its presence in England shortly after the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the Petitt surname was recorded in the Hundred Rolls, a census of landowners in England. This suggests that the family had established themselves as landowners and members of the gentry during this period.
Notable individuals with the Petitt surname include Sir William Petitt (1609-1677), an English politician and member of Parliament during the English Civil War. Another prominent figure was John Petitt (1765-1842), an American frontiersman and pioneer who played a significant role in the settlement of the Ohio Valley region.
Other historical figures bearing the Petitt surname include:
1. Thomas Petitt (1614-1689), an English clergyman and author known for his religious works.
2. Mary Petitt (1723-1795), a Scottish artist renowned for her portraiture and landscape paintings.
3. James Petitt (1780-1856), an American military officer who served in the War of 1812.
4. Charles Petitt (1864-1923), a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London.
5. Edith Petitt (1902-1987), an American author and playwright who contributed to the Harlem Renaissance literary movement.
The Petitt surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Petit-Couronne in Normandy, France, and Petitville in New York, United States, which were likely named after individuals or families bearing the Petitt name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petitt
Among Census respondents with the surname Petitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Petitt 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 Petitt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.1% · 2,011
- Black or African American7.6% · 187
- Two or more races4.5% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 107
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petitt
Petitt 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
#11,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,684
+280 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 249 places
2020
#12,151
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,449
-235 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 472 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,928 | 2,404 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,679 | 2,684 | 0.91 | +280 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 249 places |
| 2020 | #12,151 | 2,449 | 0.82 | -235 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 472 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 Petitt 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 | #11,679 | #12,151 | -4.0% |
| Count | 2,684 | 2,449 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.82 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petitt bearers went from 2,684 to 2,449 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 472 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,679 to #12,151.
FAQ
Petitt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petitt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,808 living Americans carry the surname Petitt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,064 residents.
How common is Petitt?
Petitt ranks #12,151 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,449 people with the surname Petitt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,808), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Petitt.
Has Petitt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petitt went from 2,684 recorded bearers to 2,449. That is a decrease of 235 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,679 to #12,151.
What does the Census say about the background of Petitt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Petitt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.1% (2,011 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petitt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.1%), Black (7.6%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Petitt (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 Petitt mean?
A variant of the French surname "Petit," meaning "small" or "little," likely referring to a person's stature. 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 Petitt (0.82 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 Petitt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.