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

Petra, 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 Petra surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Petra in America

Petra is the 72105th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Petra surname appeared 270 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 Petra.

We can also compare 2010 data for Petra 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 Petra

The surname Petra has its origins in Greece, dating back to the classical period of ancient Greek civilization. It is derived from the Greek word "petra," which means "rock" or "stone." This name likely emerged as a reference to someone who lived near a rocky area or worked with stone, such as a stonemason or quarry worker.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Petra can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who mentions a man named Petras from the island of Rhodes in the 5th century BC. The name also appears in various Greek inscriptions and manuscripts from the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

During the Byzantine era, the surname Petra was commonly used in the regions of Greece and Asia Minor. It is mentioned in several Byzantine chronicles and records, including the Alexiad, written by the princess Anna Komnene in the 12th century AD.

In the Middle Ages, the name Petra spread to other parts of Europe through Greek migration and trade. One notable figure was Petros Petra, a Greek scholar and diplomat who lived in the 15th century and served as an ambassador for the Republic of Venice.

The surname Petra also has a strong presence in Italy, particularly in regions with historical Greek influence, such as Sicily and Calabria. One of the most famous bearers of this name was the Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect Pietro Petra, who was born in Venice in 1499 and died in 1569.

Another notable individual with the surname Petra was the Greek mathematician and astronomer Petros Petra, who lived in the 16th century and made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.

In the 19th century, the surname Petra was found among Greek communities in the Ottoman Empire and the Balkans. One prominent figure was Konstantinos Petra, a Greek writer and journalist who played a key role in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottomans in the 1820s.

The name Petra has also been associated with various place names and geographical features, such as the ancient city of Petra in modern-day Jordan, which was carved into sandstone cliffs and was an important center of trade and culture in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Petra

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

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

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

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