Find out how popular the last name Petties is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Petties.

Petties, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Petties surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Petties in America

Petties is the 27110th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Petties surname appeared 893 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Petties.

We can also compare 2010 data for Petties to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Petties

The surname PETTIES is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "petit," meaning small or little. The name was likely originally a descriptive nickname for someone of small stature or a younger child.

The earliest known recorded spelling of the name dates back to the 13th century, with a reference to a Richard Petty in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. This suggests that the name was established in the county of Oxfordshire by this time.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Pety, Petye, and Petti, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common in that era. One notable instance is the mention of a John Pety in the Friar's Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379.

The PETTIES surname is also linked to several place names throughout England, including Petty Cury in Cambridge and Petty France in London. These locations may have been named after individuals bearing the surname or influenced the adoption of the name in those areas.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname PETTIES was Sir William Petty, an English economist, scientist, and philosopher born in 1623. He is known for his pioneering work in political economy and his contributions to the fields of statistics and demographics.

Another notable figure was John Petties, a 17th-century English composer and organist who served at the Chapel Royal during the reign of Charles II. He was born around 1645 and was renowned for his sacred choral works.

In the 18th century, Sir William Petty, the 2nd Earl of Shelburne (1737-1805), was a prominent British statesman and Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1782 to 1783.

The 19th century saw the rise of Samuel Petties, a British naval officer and explorer who participated in several Arctic expeditions in the early 1800s, including the search for the Northwest Passage.

Finally, in the 20th century, Sir William Petties (1901-1987) was a distinguished British architect known for his innovative designs and contributions to modern architecture, particularly in the post-World War II era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Petties

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Petties.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Petties was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Petties has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Petties was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Petties, please contact us.

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