2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pettice
An English locational surname derived from the name of the village of Pettistree in Suffolk.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Pettice. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pettice 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Pettice in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettice, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.8%. The next largest groups are Black (47.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pettice
The surname Pettice is of English origin, derived from the personal name Peter combined with the suffix "-ice" meaning "little." It likely originated in the 12th or 13th century as a diminutive form of the name Peter.
The earliest recorded instances of the Pettice name can be found in various medieval records from England, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a John Pettice from Oxfordshire. The Pipe Rolls of 1195 also list a Robert Pettice from Norfolk.
In the late 13th century, the Pettice name was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex, where it was spelled as "Petyce." This variation in spelling was common during that time period, as standardized spelling was not yet established.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the Pettice surname was Sir William Pettice, a knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century. He is mentioned in several historical accounts of the battles between the Houses of York and Lancaster.
Another prominent figure was John Pettice, a merchant and alderman in the city of London during the reign of King Henry VIII in the 16th century. He is recorded as having been involved in trade with the Netherlands and was a member of the prestigious Worshipful Company of Mercers.
In the 17th century, a Thomas Pettice was a Puritan clergyman who emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early days of the American colonies. He served as a minister in the town of Ipswich and played a role in the early religious life of the settlement.
During the 18th century, a notable bearer of the Pettice name was Robert Pettice, a renowned artist and engraver who was born in London in 1720. His etchings and engravings depict various scenes from English life and landscapes, and his works are held in collections around the world.
In the 19th century, William Pettice was a respected architect and surveyor who worked on numerous projects in London and the surrounding areas. His most notable work was the design of the Peckham Rye Park and its accompanying buildings in the 1860s.
While the Pettice surname is not among the most common in England, it has a long and fascinating history dating back to the Middle Ages, with notable bearers contributing to various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pettice
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettice, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.8%. The next largest groups are Black (47.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pettice 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 Pettice surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.8% · 59
- Black or African American47.9% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pettice
Pettice 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,999 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+16 bearers (+15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,598 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,999 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.2%) | Up 13,598 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 Pettice 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 | #154,907 | #141,309 | 8.8% |
| Count | 105 | 121 | 15.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pettice bearers went from 105 to 121 (+15.2% change). The surname moved up 13,598 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #141,309.
FAQ
Pettice surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pettice?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Pettice. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Pettice?
Pettice ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Pettice. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Pettice.
Has Pettice become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pettice went from 105 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 16 (+15.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Pettice?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettice, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.8%. The next largest groups are Black (47.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Pettice in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.8% (59 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pettice appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.8%), Black (47.9%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Pettice (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 Pettice mean?
An English locational surname derived from the name of the village of Pettistree in Suffolk. 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 Pettice (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 Pettice?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.