2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Petronelli
An Italian surname derived from "Petrone" (a nickname meaning "little Peter").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Petronelli. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petronelli 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Petronelli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petronelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petronelli
The surname Petronelli has its origins in Italy, dating back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Latin name "Petronius," which means "from the rock" or "stony." This name was likely given to someone who lived near a rocky area or quarry.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Petronelli can be found in various Italian documents and records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Giacomo Petronelli, a merchant from Florence who lived in the mid-13th century.
The name Petronelli has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Giovanni Battista Petronelli, an Italian painter and sculptor who lived in the 16th century. He is known for his works in churches and palaces throughout Italy.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Antonio Petronelli, an Italian architect and engineer who lived in the 17th century. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings and structures in Rome during the Baroque period.
In the 18th century, Giuseppe Petronelli was a renowned Italian composer and musician. He was born in Naples in 1720 and is best known for his operas and sacred music compositions.
Moving into the 19th century, Enrico Petronelli was an Italian politician and statesman who served as a member of the Italian parliament and held various ministerial positions during the latter half of the 1800s.
The name Petronelli has also been found in historical records from other parts of Europe, such as France and Spain, where it likely originated from Italian immigrants or traders. However, the name's roots and earliest documented instances can be traced back to Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petronelli
Among Census respondents with the surname Petronelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Petronelli 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 Petronelli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 105
- Two or more races6.9% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petronelli
Petronelli 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
#114,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
+11 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 258 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-37 bearers (-24.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 30,604 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #114,424 | 153 | 0.05 | +11 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 258 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -37 bearers (-24.2%) | Down 30,604 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 Petronelli 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 | #114,424 | #145,028 | -26.7% |
| Count | 153 | 116 | -24.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petronelli bearers went from 153 to 116 (-24.2% change). The surname moved down 30,604 positions in the national ranking, going from #114,424 to #145,028.
FAQ
Petronelli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petronelli?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Petronelli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Petronelli?
Petronelli ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Petronelli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Petronelli.
Has Petronelli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petronelli went from 153 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 37 (-24.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #114,424 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Petronelli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petronelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Petronelli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petronelli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (6.9%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Petronelli (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 Petronelli mean?
An Italian surname derived from "Petrone" (a nickname meaning "little Peter"). 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 Petronelli (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 many people share the surname Petronelli?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.