2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Petrzelka
A surname derived from the Czech word for parsley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Petrzelka. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petrzelka 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Petrzelka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrzelka, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petrzelka
The surname Petrzelka is of Czech origin, tracing its roots back to the late medieval period in what is now the Czech Republic. The name is derived from the Czech word "petržel," meaning parsley, suggesting a possible connection to an ancestor who cultivated or traded in this herb.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Petrzelka can be found in the Berní Rula, a tax record compiled in the late 16th century during the reign of Emperor Rudolf II. This document lists several individuals with variations of the name, such as Petrzalka and Petrzelka, residing in various towns and villages across Bohemia.
In the 17th century, the Petrzelka name appeared in various church records and land registries in the region around the city of Brno, in the present-day South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. This area was known for its fertile soil and agricultural traditions, which may have contributed to the surname's association with parsley cultivation.
One notable bearer of the Petrzelka name was Jan Petrzelka (1584-1642), a prominent Czech Protestant nobleman who played a significant role in the Bohemian Revolt against the Holy Roman Empire in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. His estate was confiscated after the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, and he was later executed for his involvement in the rebellion.
Another historical figure with the Petrzelka surname was Václav Petrzelka (1735-1811), a Czech Roman Catholic priest and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Prague. He was known for his scholarly works on theology and philosophy, and his contributions to the intellectual life of the city during the Enlightenment period.
In the 19th century, the Petrzelka name gained prominence in the field of music. Antonín Petrzelka (1843-1908) was a Czech composer and conductor who composed several operas and orchestral works, as well as serving as the director of the Prague Conservatory for a period of time.
The Petrzelka surname can also be found in historical records from other parts of Europe, such as Germany and Poland, likely due to migration and cultural exchange in the region over the centuries. However, its origins and strongest associations remain firmly rooted in the Czech lands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petrzelka
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrzelka, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Petrzelka 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 Petrzelka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petrzelka
Petrzelka 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-14 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,329 places
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-16 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,248 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 21,329 places |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 10,248 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 Petrzelka 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 | #146,201 | #156,449 | -7.0% |
| Count | 113 | 97 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petrzelka bearers went from 113 to 97 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 10,248 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #156,449.
FAQ
Petrzelka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petrzelka?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Petrzelka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Petrzelka?
Petrzelka ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 97 people with the surname Petrzelka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Petrzelka.
Has Petrzelka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petrzelka went from 113 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 16 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Petrzelka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petrzelka, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Petrzelka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petrzelka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Petrzelka (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 Petrzelka mean?
A surname derived from the Czech word for parsley. 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 Petrzelka (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Petrzelka?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.