2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Petrocchi
An Italian surname derived from the given name Pietro, meaning "rock" or "stone".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Petrocchi. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petrocchi 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Petrocchi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrocchi, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petrocchi
The surname Petrocchi is of Italian origin, specifically from the central region of Tuscany. It can be traced back to the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Italian word "pietra," meaning stone or rock, combined with the diminutive suffix "-occhi," suggesting a connection to a small or little stone.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Petrocchi name can be found in the historical records of the city of Florence, where a family with this surname was documented in the 14th century. It is thought that this family may have been involved in the stone quarrying or masonry trade, which could explain the origin of their surname.
Another notable historical reference to the Petrocchi name is found in the records of the Medici family, the powerful rulers of Florence during the Renaissance. In the 15th century, a Petrocchi family was mentioned as being among the prominent citizens of the city, indicating their social standing and influence at the time.
In the 16th century, a Florentine scholar and writer named Polidoro Petrocchi (1484-1550) gained recognition for his works on Italian grammar and literature. His writings contributed to the development and standardization of the Italian language during the Renaissance period.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Giacomo Petrocchi (1678-1743) was an Italian playwright and poet who achieved notable success with his comedic works. His plays were performed in various theaters across Italy and helped shape the development of Italian theater during the Enlightenment era.
Another prominent figure bearing the Petrocchi surname was Massimo Petrocchi (1869-1947), an Italian philologist and literary critic. He is best known for his comprehensive dictionary of the Italian language, which became a widely respected reference work in the early 20th century.
Throughout its history, the Petrocchi surname has been associated with various locations in central Italy, particularly in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria. Some of the cities and towns where the name has been prevalent include Florence, Arezzo, Perugia, and Assisi, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petrocchi
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrocchi, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Petrocchi 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 Petrocchi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petrocchi
Petrocchi 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+16 bearers (+15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,783 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-12 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,707 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.4%) | Up 6,783 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 11,707 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 Petrocchi 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 | #139,228 | #150,935 | -8.4% |
| Count | 120 | 108 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petrocchi bearers went from 120 to 108 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 11,707 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #150,935.
FAQ
Petrocchi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petrocchi?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Petrocchi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Petrocchi?
Petrocchi ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Petrocchi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Petrocchi.
Has Petrocchi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petrocchi went from 120 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Petrocchi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrocchi, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Petrocchi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petrocchi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Hispanic (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Petrocchi (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 Petrocchi mean?
An Italian surname derived from the given name Pietro, meaning "rock" or "stone". 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 Petrocchi (0.04 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 common is the surname Petrocchi?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Petrocchi at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.