2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Petran
A surname derived from the Greek word "petra", meaning stone or rock.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Petran. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petran 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Petran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petran, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petran
The surname Petran is believed to have originated in the region of Bohemia, which is now part of the modern-day Czech Republic. The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with the earliest known records dating back to around 1250.
One of the earliest mentions of the name Petran can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Regni Bohemiae, a collection of medieval documents and letters from the Kingdom of Bohemia. In this collection, there is a reference to a man named Petr, whose surname was likely derived from his given name.
The name Petran is thought to have its roots in the Slavic word "petr," which means "rock" or "stone." It is possible that the name was originally given to someone who lived near a prominent rock formation or worked as a stonemason.
In the 14th century, there are records of a Petran family residing in the town of Kutná Hora, which was a prominent mining town during the Middle Ages. One notable member of this family was Jan Petran, who was born around 1340 and served as a magistrate in the town.
Another early bearer of the Petran surname was Václav Petran, a Czech nobleman who lived in the late 15th century. He was a landowner and held several important positions in the court of King Vladislav II of Bohemia.
During the 16th century, the Petran name spread to other parts of Central Europe, including parts of modern-day Germany and Austria. One notable figure from this period was Hans Petran, a German artist and engraver who was born in Nuremberg in 1548 and is known for his intricate woodcut illustrations.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Petran family settled in the region of Silesia, which was then part of the Kingdom of Bohemia but is now divided between Poland and Germany. One notable member of this branch was Johann Petran, a German-Bohemian architect who was born in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) in 1639 and designed several churches and public buildings in the region.
As the name Petran spread across Europe, it also took on various spellings and variations, such as Petrin, Petrahn, and Petrani. These variations can be found in historical records from different regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petran
Among Census respondents with the surname Petran, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Petran 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 Petran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.1% · 10
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petran
Petran 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+12 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,800 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-18 bearers (-15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,897 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 2,800 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -18 bearers (-15.4%) | Down 13,897 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 Petran 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 | #142,108 | #156,005 | -9.8% |
| Count | 117 | 99 | -15.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petran bearers went from 117 to 99 (-15.4% change). The surname moved down 13,897 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #156,005.
FAQ
Petran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petran?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Petran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Petran?
Petran ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Petran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Petran.
Has Petran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petran went from 117 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 18 (-15.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Petran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petran, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Petran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Petran (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 Petran mean?
A surname derived from the Greek word "petra", meaning stone or rock. 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 Petran (0.03 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 Petran?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.