2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Petramale
A surname derived from the Latin words "petra" meaning rock and "male" meaning hill or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Petramale. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petramale 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.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Petramale in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petramale, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petramale
The surname Petramale has its origins traced back to the region of Piedmont in northwestern Italy, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Italian words "pietra" meaning "stone" and "male" meaning "bad" or "poor," indicating a possible connection to a person living in a rocky or impoverished area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Liber Consiliorum" (Book of Councils) of the city of Asti, Piedmont, in 1287, where a certain "Guidone Petramale" is mentioned as a witness to a legal document. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by that time.
In the 14th century, a branch of the Petramale family settled in the town of Govone, located in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont. Records from 1342 mention a "Giovannino Petramale" who was a landowner in the area.
In the late 15th century, the name appears in the "Codex Diplomaticus Cremonae" (Diplomatic Code of Cremona), a collection of historical documents from the city of Cremona, in the region of Lombardy. A certain "Bartolomeo Petramale" is listed as a merchant and member of the local guild.
One notable bearer of the Petramale surname was Giacomo Petramale (1550-1624), a Renaissance painter from the city of Asti, who specialized in religious works and frescoes. His paintings can still be found in churches and galleries throughout Piedmont.
Another noteworthy individual was Giovanni Battista Petramale (1688-1762), a lawyer and judge from Govone, who served as a magistrate in the Court of Turin and was known for his legal expertise and scholarly writings on civil law.
In the 19th century, the Petramale family also had a presence in the town of Castelnuovo Belbo, in the province of Asti. The local church records from 1820 mention a "Giuseppe Petramale" as a resident and landowner in the area.
While not an exhaustive list, these examples demonstrate the historical presence of the Petramale surname across different regions of northern Italy, particularly in Piedmont and neighboring areas, with various individuals leaving their mark in fields such as art, law, and local governance over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petramale
Among Census respondents with the surname Petramale, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Petramale 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 Petramale surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petramale
Petramale 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,927 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,943 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 10,927 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6,943 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 Petramale 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 | #137,327 | #144,270 | -5.1% |
| Count | 122 | 117 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petramale bearers went from 122 to 117 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 6,943 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #144,270.
FAQ
Petramale surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petramale?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Petramale. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Petramale?
Petramale ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Petramale. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Petramale.
Has Petramale become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petramale went from 122 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Petramale?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petramale, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Petramale in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petramale appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Black (2.6%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Petramale (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 Petramale mean?
A surname derived from the Latin words "petra" meaning rock and "male" meaning hill or mountain. 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 Petramale (0.04 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 are called Petramale?
Find out how common the surname Petramale is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.