2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Petrassi
An Italian surname with geographical origins in a small town or region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Petrassi. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petrassi 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Petrassi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrassi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petrassi
The surname Petrassi originates from Italy, first appearing in historical records during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "pietra," meaning "stone" or "rock," suggesting that the name may have been initially given to individuals living near or associated with rocky or stony areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Petrassi name can be found in the state archives of Florence, dating back to the 14th century. These records mention a family with the surname Petrassi residing in the Tuscan region, indicating the name's longstanding presence in Italy.
During the Renaissance era, several notable individuals bearing the Petrassi surname emerged. Among them was Giovanni Petrassi, a renowned Italian composer and music theorist born in 1904 in Zagarolo, near Rome. He is best known for his contributions to the development of modern Italian classical music and his works such as the ballet "La Follia" and the orchestral piece "Concerto per orchestra."
Another historical figure with the Petrassi surname was Gianfranco Petrassi, an Italian politician and lawyer born in 1924 in Rome. He served as a member of the Italian Senate from 1968 to 1992 and played a significant role in shaping Italian legislation and legal reforms during the latter half of the 20th century.
In the realm of literature, the name Petrassi is associated with Pietro Petrassi, an Italian writer and journalist born in 1892 in Campobasso, Molise. He is renowned for his novels and short stories that vividly depicted the rural life and cultural traditions of southern Italy.
The Petrassi surname can also be traced back to the town of Petrasso, a small commune located in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria region of southern Italy. It is possible that the surname originated from this locality, with individuals migrating from the area and carrying the name with them.
Throughout history, several variations of the Petrassi surname have been recorded, such as Petrasso, Petracci, and Petracci-Petrassi, reflecting regional linguistic differences and local dialects in Italy. These variations further attest to the name's Italian roots and its evolution over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petrassi
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrassi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Petrassi 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 Petrassi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petrassi
Petrassi appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-9 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,769 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 7,769 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 Petrassi 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 | #145,220 | #152,989 | -5.3% |
| Count | 114 | 105 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petrassi bearers went from 114 to 105 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 7,769 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #152,989.
FAQ
Petrassi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petrassi?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Petrassi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Petrassi?
Petrassi ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Petrassi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Petrassi.
Has Petrassi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petrassi went from 114 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Petrassi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrassi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Petrassi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petrassi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Petrassi (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 Petrassi mean?
An Italian surname with geographical origins in a small town or region. 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 Petrassi (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 have the last name Petrassi?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Petrassi, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.