2000
#10,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,907
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Petree
An English topographic surname for someone who lived by a pear tree or near a grove of pear trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,249 Americans carry the last name Petree. That puts it at #10,758 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,495 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petree 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
3.2K
1 in 105,495
Census rank
#10,758
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,833 bearers of the surname Petree in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10758th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petree, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petree
The surname Petree is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "pierre," meaning "stone." It is believed to have originated in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in France during the Middle Ages.
The name was likely initially used as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived near a prominent stone or rock formation, or perhaps a stonemason or quarry worker. In some cases, it may have been a topographic name, referring to a person who lived in a stony or rocky area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Petree can be found in the 13th century, when a man named Robert Petree was mentioned in a charter from Normandy dated around 1230.
During the medieval period, the name appeared in various spellings, including Pietree, Peitree, and Peytrée, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling at the time.
In the 14th century, a man named Jean Petree (c. 1320 - c. 1390) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Rouen, Normandy. His descendants continued to use the surname and contributed to its spread throughout the region.
The surname Petree also has a connection to place names, particularly in Normandy and Brittany, where there are several villages and hamlets with names derived from the word "pierre," such as Pierrefitte and Pierrepont.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Petree was Jacques Petree (c. 1520 - 1592), a French Protestant theologian and author who lived during the Protestant Reformation.
Another historical figure was Pierre Petree (1598 - 1677), a French explorer and fur trader who traveled to New France (now Canada) and established trading relationships with indigenous tribes in the Great Lakes region.
In the 17th century, members of the Petree family migrated from France to other parts of Europe and the New World, contributing to the spread and diversity of the surname.
One prominent individual was Robert Petree (c. 1640 - 1705), an English writer and poet who was part of the literary circle of Samuel Pepys and John Dryden in London.
Overall, the surname Petree has a rich history spanning several centuries and regions, with its origins deeply rooted in the French language and culture, particularly in the provinces of Normandy and Brittany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petree
Among Census respondents with the surname Petree, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Petree 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 Petree surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 2,526
- Two or more races3.6% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 90
- Black or African American2.3% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petree
Petree 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
#10,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,067
+160 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 291 places
2020
#10,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,833
-234 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 285 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,182 | 2,907 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,473 | 3,067 | 1.04 | +160 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 291 places |
| 2020 | #10,758 | 2,833 | 0.95 | -234 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 285 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 Petree 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 | #10,473 | #10,758 | -2.7% |
| Count | 3,067 | 2,833 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.95 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petree bearers went from 3,067 to 2,833 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 285 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,473 to #10,758.
FAQ
Petree surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petree?
Name Census estimates that about 3,249 living Americans carry the surname Petree. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,495 residents.
How common is Petree?
Petree ranks #10,758 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,833 people with the surname Petree. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,249), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Petree.
Has Petree become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petree went from 3,067 recorded bearers to 2,833. That is a decrease of 234 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,473 to #10,758.
What does the Census say about the background of Petree?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petree, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Petree in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (2,526 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petree appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Petree (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 Petree mean?
An English topographic surname for someone who lived by a pear tree or near a grove of pear trees. 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 Petree (0.95 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 Petree?
Find out how common the surname Petree is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.