2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pette
A surname derived from the Old French word "petit", meaning small or little.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Pette. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pette 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Pette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pette, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.6%) and Black (8.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pette
The surname PETTE is thought to have originated in the region of Normandy, France during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "petit," meaning small or little. This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname for a person of small stature.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname PETTE can be found in various medieval records and documents from the 11th and 12th centuries in Normandy and neighboring regions of northern France. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, where it is listed as "Petite."
As the surname spread throughout France and beyond, variations in spelling emerged, such as Petit, Petite, and Petyt. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the influence of local scribes who recorded the name in official documents.
One of the earliest known bearers of the PETTE surname was Jean Pette, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century. Another notable figure was Guillaume Pette, a merchant and alderman in the city of Rouen, who lived in the late 15th century.
During the Middle Ages, the surname PETTE also became associated with certain place names, such as Pettevillers in the Somme region of northern France. This connection suggests that some bearers of the name may have taken it from the location where they resided or originated.
In the 16th century, the PETTE surname gained prominence with the birth of Pierre Pette (1527-1598), a renowned French poet and playwright who was a member of the Pléiade, a group of influential Renaissance writers. His works, including "Les Amours" and "Les Mascarades," were widely celebrated during his time.
Another notable bearer of the PETTE surname was Jean-Baptiste Pette (1674-1742), a French architect and engineer who was responsible for designing several notable buildings and fortifications in Paris and other parts of France during the reign of Louis XIV.
As the surname spread across Europe and beyond, it continued to be associated with various individuals of note, such as the British naval officer Sir William Pette (1782-1855), who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pette
Among Census respondents with the surname Pette, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.6%) and Black (8.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pette 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 Pette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.1% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino9.6% · 11
- Black or African American8.7% · 10
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pette
Pette 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,212 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,212 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,616 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 Pette 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 | #144,141 | #145,757 | -1.1% |
| Count | 115 | 115 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pette bearers went from 115 to 115 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,616 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #145,757.
FAQ
Pette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pette?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Pette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Pette?
Pette ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Pette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Pette.
Has Pette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pette went from 115 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Pette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pette, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.6%) and Black (8.7%). 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 Pette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.1% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.1%), Hispanic (9.6%), Black (8.7%). 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 Pette (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 Pette mean?
A surname derived from the Old French word "petit", meaning small or little. 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 Pette (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 have the surname Pette?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.