2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Petterborg
A surname derived from the place name Petterborg, a town in Norway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Petterborg. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petterborg 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Petterborg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petterborg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petterborg
The surname PETTERBORG has its origins in the Scandinavian region, specifically in Norway and Sweden. It is believed to have emerged during the late 16th or early 17th century. The name is a combination of two distinct elements: "Petter," which is a Scandinavian form of the name Peter, and "borg," which means a fortified town or castle.
The earliest recorded instances of the name PETTERBORG can be traced back to the coastal regions of Norway and Sweden, where it is thought to have originated as a locational surname. It may have referred to individuals who resided near a fortified town or castle associated with someone named Petter or Peter.
One of the earliest known references to the name PETTERBORG can be found in the Swedish Church Records from the 17th century. These records document the births, marriages, and deaths of individuals within various parishes across Sweden, including those bearing the PETTERBORG surname.
Notable individuals with the surname PETTERBORG include Anders Petterborg (1714-1789), a Swedish merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the development of the Swedish East India Company. Another notable figure was Ingrid Petterborg (1856-1932), a Norwegian educator and women's rights activist who campaigned for equal educational opportunities for women in Norway.
In the 19th century, the PETTERBORG name gained prominence with the birth of Nils Petterborg (1845-1921), a Swedish architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Stockholm, including the Stockholm City Theatre and the Royal Swedish Opera House.
The name PETTERBORG has also been associated with various place names throughout Scandinavia. For instance, the town of Petterborg in central Sweden is believed to have derived its name from the PETTERBORG surname, possibly referring to an early settlement established by individuals bearing this name.
Other notable individuals with the PETTERBORG surname include Karin Petterborg (1892-1976), a Swedish novelist and playwright, and Erik Petterborg (1928-2003), a Norwegian politician who served as a member of the Storting, the Norwegian parliament.
While the PETTERBORG surname has its roots in the Scandinavian region, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, its historical significance remains closely tied to its Nordic origins and the individuals who have carried this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petterborg
Among Census respondents with the surname Petterborg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Petterborg 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 Petterborg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 93
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petterborg
Petterborg appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,677 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 3,677 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 Petterborg 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 | #158,432 | #154,755 | 2.3% |
| Count | 102 | 102 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petterborg bearers went from 102 to 102 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 3,677 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #154,755.
FAQ
Petterborg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petterborg?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Petterborg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Petterborg?
Petterborg ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Petterborg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Petterborg.
Has Petterborg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petterborg went from 102 recorded bearers to 102. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Petterborg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petterborg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Petterborg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petterborg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Petterborg (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 Petterborg mean?
A surname derived from the place name Petterborg, a town in Norway. 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 Petterborg (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 people have the surname Petterborg?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.