2000
#4,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,500
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.78
Rare Last name
Pettigrew
A surname of French origin referring to a person who was small in stature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,556 Americans carry the last name Pettigrew. That puts it at #4,613 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,060 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pettigrew 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pettigrew with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.6K
1 in 40,060
Census rank
#4,613
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,461 bearers of the surname Pettigrew in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4613th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettigrew, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pettigrew
The surname Pettigrew is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "petit" meaning small or little, and "greve" meaning grove or thicket. It is believed to have originated in the early medieval period, possibly as a habitational name for someone who lived near a small grove or wooded area.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be Pettigrew in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273. This suggests the name was already well-established in parts of England by the 13th century. Other early variations include Petygrue, Petigrew, and Petigrow.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several entries that may be related to the name, such as references to places called "Pettegrave" and "Pettigrava" in various counties. These place names could have influenced the development of the surname Pettigrew.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Pettigrew was John Pettigrew, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire in 1292. Another early bearer of the name was William Pettigrew, listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
Historically notable individuals with the surname Pettigrew include:
1. Thomas Pettigrew (1791-1865), an English surgeon and antiquary who wrote several works on ancient archaeology and history.
2. James Pettigrew (1834-1908), an American Confederate general during the American Civil War, known for his role in the Battle of Gettysburg.
3. William Andrew Pettigrew (1854-1938), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Parliament of Western Australia.
4. William Pettigrew (1864-1926), a Scottish-born American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia.
5. James Bell Pettigrew (1834-1863), an American Confederate general who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Falling Waters during the American Civil War.
The surname Pettigrew has been present in various regions of the United Kingdom, including England, Scotland, and Ireland, as well as in other parts of the world where English settlers and immigrants have established communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pettigrew
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettigrew, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pettigrew 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 Pettigrew surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.3% · 4,278
- Black or African American31.2% · 2,327
- Two or more races5.1% · 382
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 234
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 187
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pettigrew
Pettigrew 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
#4,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,958
+458 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 2.70
Rank movement Down 79 places
2020
#4,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,461
-497 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Down 155 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,379 | 7,500 | 2.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,458 | 7,958 | 2.70 | +458 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 79 places |
| 2020 | #4,613 | 7,461 | 2.50 | -497 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 155 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 Pettigrew 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 | #4,458 | #4,613 | -3.5% |
| Count | 7,958 | 7,461 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.70 | 2.50 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pettigrew bearers went from 7,958 to 7,461 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 155 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,458 to #4,613.
FAQ
Pettigrew surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pettigrew?
Name Census estimates that about 8,556 living Americans carry the surname Pettigrew. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,060 residents.
How common is Pettigrew?
Pettigrew ranks #4,613 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,461 people with the surname Pettigrew. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,556), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Pettigrew.
Has Pettigrew become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pettigrew went from 7,958 recorded bearers to 7,461. That is a decrease of 497 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,458 to #4,613.
What does the Census say about the background of Pettigrew?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettigrew, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Pettigrew in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.3% (4,278 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pettigrew appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.3%), Black (31.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Pettigrew (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 Pettigrew mean?
A surname of French origin referring to a person who was small in stature. 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 Pettigrew (2.50 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 are called Pettigrew?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Pettigrew at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.