2000
#10,059
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,956
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Petrosky
A surname of Ukrainian or Belarusian origin, derived from the occupation of stone mining or stone working.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,404 Americans carry the last name Petrosky. That puts it at #13,805 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,577 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petrosky 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
2.4K
1 in 142,577
Census rank
#13,805
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,096 bearers of the surname Petrosky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13805th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrosky, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petrosky
The surname Petrosky originated in the Eastern European regions of present-day Poland and Ukraine during the medieval period. It is derived from the Slavic root "petr," which means "rock" or "stone," combined with the possessive suffix "-sky." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a rocky area or worked with stone.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Petrosky can be found in the Polish town of Krakow, where a merchant named Jan Petrosky was mentioned in a church registry from the late 15th century. The name also appears in various historical documents from the region, such as tax records and land deeds, indicating its presence among the local population.
In the 16th century, a nobleman named Stanislaw Petrosky was documented as owning a substantial estate in the village of Petroskivka, located in what is now western Ukraine. This place name is believed to have originated from the surname, further solidifying its connection to the area.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Petrosky name gained prominence in parts of Eastern Europe. Notable individuals included Andrei Petrosky (1642-1712), a renowned painter and iconographer from Ukraine, and Katarzyna Petrosky (1715-1789), a Polish noblewoman known for her philanthropic work.
As migration patterns shifted in the 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the surname Petrosky began to settle in other parts of Europe and North America. One such example is Mikhail Petrosky (1870-1948), a Russian engineer who contributed to the development of early aircraft designs.
Another notable figure was Czeslaw Petrosky (1892-1971), a Polish-American author and journalist who wrote extensively about the experiences of immigrants in the United States. His works provide valuable insights into the lives of those who carried the Petrosky surname during that era.
While the name Petrosky has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread across various regions and cultures, representing a diverse array of individuals who can trace their lineage back to the rocky landscapes of Poland and Ukraine.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petrosky
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrosky, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Petrosky 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 Petrosky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 1,927
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 81
- Two or more races2.7% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 23
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petrosky
Petrosky 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
#10,777
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,960
+4 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 718 places
2020
#13,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,096
-864 bearers (-29.2%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 3,028 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,059 | 2,956 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,777 | 2,960 | 1.00 | +4 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 718 places |
| 2020 | #13,805 | 2,096 | 0.70 | -864 bearers (-29.2%) | Down 3,028 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 Petrosky 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 | #10,777 | #13,805 | -28.1% |
| Count | 2,960 | 2,096 | -29.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.70 | -29.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petrosky bearers went from 2,960 to 2,096 (-29.2% change). The surname moved down 3,028 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,777 to #13,805.
FAQ
Petrosky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petrosky?
Name Census estimates that about 2,404 living Americans carry the surname Petrosky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,577 residents.
How common is Petrosky?
Petrosky ranks #13,805 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,096 people with the surname Petrosky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,404), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Petrosky.
Has Petrosky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petrosky went from 2,960 recorded bearers to 2,096. That is a decrease of 864 (-29.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,777 to #13,805.
What does the Census say about the background of Petrosky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrosky, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Petrosky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (1,927 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petrosky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Petrosky (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 Petrosky mean?
A surname of Ukrainian or Belarusian origin, derived from the occupation of stone mining or stone working. 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 Petrosky (0.70 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 Petrosky?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Petrosky? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.