2000
#11,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,601
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Petrovich
Son of Peter, a patronymic surname derived from the given name Pyotr (Peter) in Russian and other Slavic languages.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,509 Americans carry the last name Petrovich. That puts it at #13,331 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,610 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petrovich 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
2.5K
1 in 136,610
Census rank
#13,331
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,188 bearers of the surname Petrovich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13331st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petrovich
The surname Petrovich has its origins in Russia, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a patronymic name, meaning that it was derived from the given name of the father. In this case, Petrovich stems from the Russian masculine name Petr, which is a variant of the Greek name Petros, meaning "rock" or "stone."
Petrovich was a common surname among the Russian nobility and gentry, particularly in the regions of Moscow, Novgorod, and Pskov. It is believed that the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Russian chronicles and manuscripts, although the exact dates are uncertain.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Petrovich was Afanasy Petrovich Ordin-Nashchokin (1605-1680), a prominent statesman and diplomat during the reign of Tsar Alexis I. He played a significant role in the modernization of Russia and the establishment of diplomatic relations with Western European countries.
Another notable figure was Pyotr Petrovich Semenov-Tyan-Shansky (1827-1914), a renowned Russian geographer, statistician, and explorer. He was one of the founders of the Russian Geographical Society and made significant contributions to the exploration and mapping of Central Asia.
In the literary world, Alexey Petrovich Remizov (1877-1957) was a prominent Russian writer and artist. He was known for his innovative prose style and his works that blended elements of folklore, symbolism, and modernism.
During the Russian Revolution and the early years of the Soviet Union, Grigory Petrovich Maximov (1899-1965) was a notable Soviet writer and journalist. He was best known for his novels and short stories depicting the lives of ordinary people and the struggles of the working class.
More recently, Evgeny Petrovich Kissin (born in 1971) is a renowned Russian-American classical pianist and one of the most celebrated musicians of his generation. He has won numerous prestigious awards and has performed with leading orchestras around the world.
While the surname Petrovich is predominantly Russian, it has also been adopted in other Slavic countries, such as Ukraine and Belarus, due to cultural and linguistic connections. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the rich heritage of Russia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petrovich
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Petrovich 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 Petrovich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 1,917
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 174
- Two or more races3.1% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petrovich
Petrovich 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
#12,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,485
-116 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 1,301 places
2020
#13,331
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,188
-297 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 846 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,184 | 2,601 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,485 | 2,485 | 0.84 | -116 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 1,301 places |
| 2020 | #13,331 | 2,188 | 0.73 | -297 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 846 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 Petrovich 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 | #12,485 | #13,331 | -6.8% |
| Count | 2,485 | 2,188 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.73 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petrovich bearers went from 2,485 to 2,188 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 846 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,485 to #13,331.
FAQ
Petrovich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petrovich?
Name Census estimates that about 2,509 living Americans carry the surname Petrovich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,610 residents.
How common is Petrovich?
Petrovich ranks #13,331 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,188 people with the surname Petrovich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,509), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Petrovich.
Has Petrovich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petrovich went from 2,485 recorded bearers to 2,188. That is a decrease of 297 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,485 to #13,331.
What does the Census say about the background of Petrovich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Petrovich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (1,917 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petrovich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (8.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Petrovich (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 Petrovich mean?
Son of Peter, a patronymic surname derived from the given name Pyotr (Peter) in Russian and other Slavic languages. 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 Petrovich (0.73 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 Petrovich?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.