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

Petro, 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 Petro surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Petro in America

Petro is the 5957th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Petro surname appeared 5,777 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Petro.

We can also compare 2010 data for Petro 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 Petro

The surname Petro has its origins in southern Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania and Calabria, dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Latin name "Petrus," which means "rock" or "stone," often referring to the biblical figure of Saint Peter, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ.

One of the earliest known records of the surname Petro can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Campania region. In this codex, a certain "Petro de Salerno" is mentioned in a document dated 1182, suggesting that the surname was already in use during that time.

In the 13th century, the name Petro appears in several records from the Kingdom of Naples, including the Catalogus Baronum, a detailed record of feudal landholdings compiled in 1268-1269 under the orders of King Charles I of Anjou. This document lists several individuals with the surname Petro, indicating their presence and prominence in the region.

One notable figure bearing the surname Petro was Giacomo Petro (1480-1548), a renowned Italian philosopher and humanist from Naples. He was a professor at the University of Naples and is known for his works on ethics and politics, including his commentary on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics.

Another notable individual was Giovanni Battista Petro (1570-1644), an Italian painter and architect from Genoa. He is best known for his frescoes in churches and palaces throughout Genoa and other parts of northern Italy, showcasing his mastery of the Baroque style.

In the 18th century, the surname Petro can be found in records from the Kingdom of Sicily, where a certain Vincenzo Petro (1718-1789) was a renowned jurist and legal scholar. He served as a judge in the Supreme Court of Sicily and published several influential works on Sicilian law and jurisprudence.

Moving forward to the 19th century, Giuseppe Petro (1835-1901) was an Italian politician and lawyer from Calabria. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was a staunch advocate for the rights of the southern Italian regions, working tirelessly to improve their economic and social conditions.

The surname Petro has also been associated with various place names in southern Italy, such as Petrosa, a small town in the province of Salerno, and Petronà, a village in the province of Reggio Calabria. These place names likely derived from the same root as the surname, further reinforcing its connection to the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Petro

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

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 Petro 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 Petro 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 Petro was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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