2000
#17,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,522
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Petre
A variant surname derived from the personal name Peter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,092 Americans carry the last name Petre. That puts it at #15,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,841 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petre 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 Petre with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,841
Census rank
#15,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,824 bearers of the surname Petre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petre, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petre
The surname Petre originates from England, with its roots dating back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French name "Pierre" or "Piere," which itself comes from the Greek name "Petros," meaning "rock" or "stone." The name was likely introduced to England by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Petre can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire from the late 12th century, where it was spelled as "Petre" or "Petri." The name was also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, although it was recorded as a first name rather than a surname.
In the 13th and 14th centuries, the Petre family was prominent in the county of Essex, where they held lands and estates. One notable member of the family was Sir William Petre (1505-1572), who served as a secretary to four successive Tudor monarchs, including Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.
Another significant figure bearing the Petre surname was Edward Petre (1631-1699), a Jesuit priest and philosopher who played a crucial role in the Catholic intellectual circles of the 17th century. He was a prolific writer and was known for his works on philosophy, theology, and mathematics.
In the 18th century, the Petre family continued to hold significant influence and wealth in Essex. Robert Petre (1742-1801), the 9th Baron Petre, was a prominent Catholic landowner and a respected figure in English society. His son, Robert Edward Petre (1783-1858), was a member of parliament and a noted art collector.
The Petre surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Petre Hall in Essex, which was the ancestral home of the Petre family for several centuries. The name has also been spelled in various ways throughout history, including Petri, Petre, and Petre.
Other notable individuals with the Petre surname include Sir John Petre (1549-1613), a member of the English gentry and a wealthy landowner in Essex; Henry Petre (1598-1659), a Royalist officer during the English Civil War; and William Petre (1624-1672), an English Catholic priest and scholar.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petre
Among Census respondents with the surname Petre, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Petre 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 Petre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 1,681
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 81
- Two or more races1.8% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 20
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petre
Petre 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
#18,478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,496
-26 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Down 1,308 places
2020
#15,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,824
+328 bearers (+21.9%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 3,013 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,170 | 1,522 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,478 | 1,496 | 0.51 | -26 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 1,308 places |
| 2020 | #15,465 | 1,824 | 0.61 | +328 bearers (+21.9%) | Up 3,013 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 Petre 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 | #18,478 | #15,465 | 16.3% |
| Count | 1,496 | 1,824 | 21.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.51 | 0.61 | 19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petre bearers went from 1,496 to 1,824 (+21.9% change). The surname moved up 3,013 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,478 to #15,465.
FAQ
Petre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petre?
Name Census estimates that about 2,092 living Americans carry the surname Petre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,841 residents.
How common is Petre?
Petre ranks #15,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,824 people with the surname Petre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,092), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Petre.
Has Petre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petre went from 1,496 recorded bearers to 1,824. That is an increase of 328 (+21.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,478 to #15,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Petre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petre, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Petre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (1,681 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Petre (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 Petre mean?
A variant surname derived from the personal name Peter. 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 Petre (0.61 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 surname Petre?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.