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

Petroski, 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 Petroski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Petroski in America

Petroski is the 21774th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Petroski surname appeared 1,194 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Petroski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Petroski 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 Petroski

The surname Petroski has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in Poland and Ukraine. It likely emerged during the Middle Ages, between the 5th and 15th centuries. The name is derived from the Slavic root "Petr," which is a variation of the name Peter, meaning "rock" or "stone."

Historical records indicate that the earliest variations of the name were "Petrowski" and "Pietrowski." These spellings can be found in Polish and Ukrainian parish records and census documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. The name was particularly prominent in the regions of Galicia and Volhynia, which were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the time.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Petroski can be found in the Metryka Koronna, a collection of official documents from the Kingdom of Poland, dating back to the 15th century. This record mentions a nobleman named Jan Petroski, who served as a court official in the city of Kraków in the late 1400s.

In the 18th century, the name Petroski began to spread beyond Eastern Europe as a result of migration and immigration. Notable individuals with this surname include Kazimierz Petroski (1734-1804), a Polish military officer who fought in the Kościuszko Uprising against Russian and Prussian forces, and Ivan Petroski (1789-1863), a Ukrainian writer and poet who contributed to the revival of Ukrainian literature during the Romantic era.

As the 19th century progressed, the name Petroski became more widely dispersed across Europe and North America. One noteworthy figure was Józef Petroski (1856-1923), a Polish-American engineer and inventor who played a significant role in the development of early aviation technology. Another was Mykola Petroski (1874-1942), a Ukrainian politician and statesman who served as a member of the Austro-Hungarian Parliament and later as a diplomat for the Ukrainian People's Republic.

In the 20th century, the name Petroski continued to be associated with notable individuals, such as Henry Petroski (born 1942), an American engineer and author who has written extensively on the history of engineering and design. Additionally, Tomasz Petroski (1958-2018) was a prominent Polish filmmaker and screenwriter, known for his contributions to the Polish cinema industry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Petroski

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

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

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

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