2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Petrochko
A surname likely of Slavic origin referring to someone living by a paved road or street.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Petrochko. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petrochko 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Petrochko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrochko, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petrochko
The surname Petrochko has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the region of modern-day Ukraine and Poland. It dates back to the 16th century and is believed to be derived from the Slavic root words "Petro," meaning "rock," and the diminutive suffix "-chko," indicating a smaller or more endearing form.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Petrochko surname can be found in a Polish census record from the late 1500s, where a family bearing this name was documented in the town of Krakow. Another early reference appears in a Ukrainian parish register from the mid-17th century, listing a Petrochko family residing in the village of Lviv.
The name Petrochko is thought to have originated as a patronymic, referring to the son or descendant of someone named Petro or a variant thereof. This practice of forming surnames from personal names was common in many Slavic cultures during the Middle Ages.
A notable individual bearing the Petrochko surname was Ivan Petrochko (1825-1898), a Ukrainian poet and writer who contributed to the burgeoning national literature of his time. Another figure of historical significance was Oleksandr Petrochko (1879-1945), a prominent Ukrainian politician and diplomat who served as a representative for his country in various international forums.
In the realm of academia, Mykola Petrochko (1912-1988) was a respected linguist and philologist who made notable contributions to the study of the Ukrainian language and its dialects. Hryhoriy Petrochko (1947-2021) was a celebrated artist and sculptor, renowned for his works that celebrated Ukrainian folk traditions and culture.
Another individual of note was Maria Petrochko (1892-1976), a Ukrainian-American activist and community leader who played a significant role in preserving and promoting her cultural heritage in the United States.
While the surname Petrochko has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to immigration and diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the regions of Ukraine and Poland, where it emerged as a distinctive family name with a rich historical context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petrochko
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrochko, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Petrochko 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 Petrochko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petrochko
Petrochko 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,767 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-31 bearers (-23.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 25,857 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 8,767 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -31 bearers (-23.7%) | Down 25,857 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 Petrochko 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 | #129,825 | #155,682 | -19.9% |
| Count | 131 | 100 | -23.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petrochko bearers went from 131 to 100 (-23.7% change). The surname moved down 25,857 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #155,682.
FAQ
Petrochko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petrochko?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Petrochko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Petrochko?
Petrochko ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Petrochko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Petrochko.
Has Petrochko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petrochko went from 131 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 31 (-23.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Petrochko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrochko, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Petrochko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petrochko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (3.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Petrochko (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 Petrochko mean?
A surname likely of Slavic origin referring to someone living by a paved road or street. 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 Petrochko (0.03 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 Petrochko?
See how many Americans have the surname Petrochko on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.