2000
#10,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,885
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Petri
Derived from the Greek word "petros," meaning "rock" or "stone," and likely referring to someone who lived near rocks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,236 Americans carry the last name Petri. That puts it at #10,801 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,919 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petri 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 Petri with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 105,919
Census rank
#10,801
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,822 bearers of the surname Petri in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10801st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petri, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petri
The surname Petri has its origins in Italy, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Italian word "Pietro," which is the equivalent of the English name "Peter." The name Petri was likely initially used as a patronymic, meaning "son of Peter."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Petri surname can be found in the historic city of Florence, where a family by the name of Petri is mentioned in documents from the late 1200s. These records suggest that the Petri family had established themselves as prominent citizens within the city's powerful merchant class.
In the 14th century, the Petri name appeared in the renowned Florentine tax records known as the "Catasto," which documented the wealth and assets of the city's residents. These records provide valuable insight into the economic status and influence of families bearing the Petri surname during this period.
The Petri name has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Jacobus Petri (1445-1521), a Dutch humanist scholar and theologian who played a significant role in the early stages of the Protestant Reformation.
Another prominent bearer of the Petri surname was Laurentius Petri (1499-1573), a Swedish theologian and reformer who is regarded as one of the founders of the Lutheran Church in Sweden. He was instrumental in translating the Bible into Swedish and establishing the country's educational system.
In the realm of science, the name Petri is closely linked to the German bacteriologist Julius Richard Petri (1852-1921), who is best known for his invention of the Petri dish, a crucial tool in the study and cultivation of microorganisms.
The Petri surname has also been associated with notable artists and intellectuals, such as the Italian sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), whose full name was Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, but who was often referred to as Gian Lorenzo Petri.
Throughout its long history, the Petri surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Petrie, Petre, and Pettri, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of the areas where it was prevalent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petri
Among Census respondents with the surname Petri, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Petri 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 Petri surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 2,586
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 101
- Two or more races2.9% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 35
- Black or African American0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petri
Petri 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
#10,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,115
+230 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 91 places
2020
#10,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,822
-293 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 462 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,248 | 2,885 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,339 | 3,115 | 1.06 | +230 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 91 places |
| 2020 | #10,801 | 2,822 | 0.94 | -293 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 462 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 Petri 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 | #10,339 | #10,801 | -4.5% |
| Count | 3,115 | 2,822 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 0.94 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petri bearers went from 3,115 to 2,822 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 462 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,339 to #10,801.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Petri
FAQ
Petri surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petri?
Name Census estimates that about 3,236 living Americans carry the surname Petri. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,919 residents.
How common is Petri?
Petri ranks #10,801 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,822 people with the surname Petri. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,236), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Petri.
Has Petri become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petri went from 3,115 recorded bearers to 2,822. That is a decrease of 293 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,339 to #10,801.
What does the Census say about the background of Petri?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petri, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Petri in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (2,586 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petri appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Petri (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 Petri mean?
Derived from the Greek word "petros," meaning "rock" or "stone," and likely referring to someone who lived near rocks. 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 Petri (0.94 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 Petri?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.