Find out how popular the last name Petrescu is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Petrescu.

Petrescu, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Petrescu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Petrescu in America

Petrescu is the 66931st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Petrescu surname appeared 295 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Petrescu.

We can also compare 2010 data for Petrescu to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Petrescu

The surname Petrescu has its origins in Romania, with the earliest records dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Romanian given name Petru, which itself comes from the Greek name Petros, meaning "rock" or "stone." This is a reference to the biblical apostle Peter, who was given the name by Jesus as a symbol of his role as the foundation of the Christian church.

Petrescu is a patronymic surname, meaning it was originally formed by adding the suffix "-escu" to the name Petru. This suffix was commonly used in Romanian surnames to indicate a familial relationship, with the full name essentially translating to "son of Petru."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Petrescu can be found in a document from 1492, which mentions a nobleman named Mihai Petrescu. This document is part of the archives of the principality of Wallachia, which was one of the historical Romanian principalities.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various records related to the Wallachian and Moldavian nobility. For example, a certain Radu Petrescu is mentioned as a member of the boyar class (the highest rank of nobility) in a document from 1547.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Petrescu name became more widespread, with several notable figures bearing the surname. One of the most prominent was Constantin Brâncoveanu Petrescu (1654-1714), who served as the Prince of Wallachia from 1688 until his execution in 1714.

Another noteworthy individual was Dimitrie Petrescu (1767-1842), a Romanian philosopher and historian who played a significant role in the development of the Romanian Enlightenment movement.

In the 19th century, the name continued to be associated with several influential figures. These include Iacob Petrescu (1787-1858), a Romanian writer and translator, and Constantin Petrescu (1849-1927), a prominent Romanian politician and lawyer.

One of the most famous bearers of the Petrescu surname in more recent times was the Romanian writer and journalist Cezar Petrescu (1892-1961), who was widely regarded as one of the most important figures in Romanian literature of the 20th century.

While the name Petrescu has its roots in Romania, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origin and historical significance remain deeply tied to the Romanian cultural and linguistic heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Petrescu

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Petrescu.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Petrescu was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Petrescu has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Petrescu was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Petrescu, please contact us.

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