2000
#47,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 423
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Petroni
Italian surname derived from the personal name Peter, meaning "rock".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 546 Americans carry the last name Petroni. That puts it at #47,959 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 627,755 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petroni 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
546
1 in 627,755
Census rank
#47,959
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
476
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 476 bearers of the surname Petroni in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 47959th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petroni, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petroni
The surname Petroni originates from Italy and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "pietra," meaning "stone" or "rock," and is believed to have originated as a surname denoting a person's occupation or a topographical feature associated with their place of residence.
The name Petroni was first recorded in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria in central Italy. It is possible that the surname was initially used to refer to individuals who lived near rocky areas or worked as stonemasons or quarry workers.
In the 13th century, the name Petroni appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, including the Caleffo Vecchio, a collection of documents from the city of Siena. This suggests that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Petroni can be found in the Florentine Codex, a 16th-century manuscript that documented the history and culture of the Nahua people in central Mexico. The manuscript mentions a Franciscan friar named Toribio de Petroni, who participated in the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the surname Petroni. One such person was Girolamo Petroni (1575-1635), an Italian painter and engraver from Siena who was known for his religious and mythological works.
Another prominent figure was Stefano Petroni (1857-1947), an Italian geologist and paleontologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossil mollusks and the stratigraphy of the Apennine Mountains.
In the literary world, Guido Petroni (1896-1975) was an Italian novelist and poet who explored themes of love, existentialism, and the human condition in his works.
The surname Petroni also has connections to the legal profession. Giuseppe Petroni (1842-1909) was an Italian jurist and politician who served as the Minister of Justice in the late 19th century.
Finally, in the field of sports, Mario Petroni (1888-1957) was an Italian football player and manager who played for several Italian clubs and coached the national team between 1925 and 1928.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals who have carried the surname Petroni throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence in Italian culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petroni
Among Census respondents with the surname Petroni, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Petroni 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 Petroni surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 388
- Hispanic or Latino13.0% · 62
- Two or more races3.8% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petroni
Petroni 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
#61,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 327
-96 bearers (-22.7%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 14,226 places
2020
#47,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 476
+149 bearers (+45.6%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 13,477 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #47,210 | 423 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #61,436 | 327 | 0.11 | -96 bearers (-22.7%) | Down 14,226 places |
| 2020 | #47,959 | 476 | 0.16 | +149 bearers (+45.6%) | Up 13,477 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 Petroni 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 | #61,436 | #47,959 | 21.9% |
| Count | 327 | 476 | 45.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.16 | 44.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petroni bearers went from 327 to 476 (+45.6% change). The surname moved up 13,477 positions in the national ranking, going from #61,436 to #47,959.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Petroni
FAQ
Petroni surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petroni?
Name Census estimates that about 546 living Americans carry the surname Petroni. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 627,755 residents.
How common is Petroni?
Petroni ranks #47,959 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 476 people with the surname Petroni. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (546), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Petroni.
Has Petroni become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petroni went from 327 recorded bearers to 476. That is an increase of 149 (+45.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #61,436 to #47,959.
What does the Census say about the background of Petroni?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petroni, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Petroni in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (388 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petroni appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Hispanic (13.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Petroni (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 Petroni mean?
Italian surname derived from the personal name Peter, meaning "rock". 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 Petroni (0.16 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 have the last name Petroni?
You can see how many people have the surname Petroni on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.