2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Petrusek
A Czech surname derived from the given name Petr, meaning "son of Peter".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Petrusek. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petrusek 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Petrusek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrusek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petrusek
The surname Petrusek is of Czech origin, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a patronymic name derived from the Czech personal name Petr, which is the equivalent of the English name Peter. The suffix "-usek" indicates a diminutive form, suggesting that the name originally referred to a son or descendant of someone named Petr.
The earliest known records of the surname Petrusek can be traced back to the 14th century in the region of Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic. During this time, the use of hereditary surnames became more widespread among the nobility and the emerging middle class in Central Europe.
One of the earliest known references to the name Petrusek can be found in the Liber Viridis (Green Book), a historical document from the city of Brno, which dates back to the late 14th century. This document contains records of land ownership and transactions, suggesting that individuals bearing the surname Petrusek were involved in agriculture or land-related activities.
In the 15th century, the name Petrusek appeared in various church records and legal documents across Bohemia and Moravia. For instance, a man named Jan Petrusek was mentioned in a deed from the town of Litomyšl in 1427, indicating his involvement in property ownership.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Petrusek surname was associated with several notable figures in Czech history. One such individual was Jan Petrusek (1556-1628), a prominent Czech humanist scholar and educator who served as the rector of the University of Prague.
Another notable bearer of the Petrusek name was Václav Petrusek (1678-1744), a Baroque architect and sculptor who contributed to the design and construction of several churches and monasteries in Bohemia and Moravia, including the Church of St. Nicholas in Prague's Old Town Square.
In the 19th century, the surname Petrusek was represented by individuals from various fields, including literature and politics. Josef Petrusek (1823-1891) was a Czech writer and journalist who played a significant role in the Czech National Revival movement, advocating for the preservation and promotion of the Czech language and culture.
As the Petrusek surname spread across Central Europe, it also appeared in various place names and toponyms. For example, the village of Petruski in Poland is believed to have been named after an early settler or landowner with the surname Petrusek.
Throughout its history, the surname Petrusek has been subject to minor variations in spelling, such as Petružek, Petruschek, or Petrushek, reflecting regional dialect differences and changes in orthography over time. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, linking it to the Czech personal name Petr and its diminutive form.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petrusek
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrusek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Petrusek 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 Petrusek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petrusek
Petrusek 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+7 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,412 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-13 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,997 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 2,412 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 12,997 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 Petrusek 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 | #136,449 | #149,446 | -9.5% |
| Count | 123 | 110 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petrusek bearers went from 123 to 110 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 12,997 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #149,446.
FAQ
Petrusek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petrusek?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Petrusek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Petrusek?
Petrusek ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Petrusek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Petrusek.
Has Petrusek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petrusek went from 123 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Petrusek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrusek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Petrusek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petrusek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Petrusek (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 Petrusek mean?
A Czech surname derived from the given name Petr, meaning "son of 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 Petrusek (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 are called Petrusek?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Petrusek at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.