2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pettipas
A locational surname originating from a place name in France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Pettipas. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pettipas 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Pettipas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettipas, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pettipas
The surname Pettipas is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the region of Brittany. It is thought to have derived from the old Breton words "pettit" meaning small and "pas" meaning step or pace. Together, these words likely referred to someone who took small steps or had a particular gait.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Pettipas dates back to the late 16th century in the parish records of Saint-Malo, Brittany. At this time, the name was often spelled as "Pettipas" or the variations "Petipas" and "Petitpas".
During the 17th century, many Pettipas families immigrated to the French colonies of Acadia (present-day Maritime provinces of Canada) and Quebec. One of the earliest recorded Pettipas in Acadia was Étienne Pettipas, born around 1640 in Port-Royal, Acadia (now Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia).
In the late 17th century, the name Pettipas appears in the census records of Port-Royal, Acadia, with several families bearing this surname. Notable individuals from this time include Charles Pettipas, born around 1685 in Port-Royal, and his son, Charles Pettipas Jr., born in 1710.
During the Acadian Expulsion of 1755-1763, many Pettipas families were deported from Acadia and dispersed throughout British colonies in North America and France. Some eventually resettled in Louisiana and formed part of the Cajun population.
One prominent individual with the Pettipas surname was Édouard Pettipas, born in 1844 in Memramcook, New Brunswick, Canada. He was a merchant and shipbuilder, and served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1892 to 1895.
Another notable Pettipas was Camille Pettipas, born in 1888 in Shediac, New Brunswick. He was a lawyer and politician, serving as a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1940, representing the riding of Westmorland, New Brunswick.
In more recent times, the name Pettipas has remained prevalent in the Maritime provinces of Canada, particularly in the Acadian and Cajun communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pettipas
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettipas, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pettipas 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 Pettipas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 110
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pettipas
Pettipas 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-17 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,523 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 24,523 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 2,174 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 Pettipas 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 | #149,395 | #147,221 | 1.5% |
| Count | 110 | 113 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pettipas bearers went from 110 to 113 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 2,174 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #147,221.
FAQ
Pettipas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pettipas?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Pettipas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Pettipas?
Pettipas ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Pettipas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Pettipas.
Has Pettipas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pettipas went from 110 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Pettipas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettipas, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Pettipas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pettipas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Black (0.9%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Pettipas (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 Pettipas mean?
A locational surname originating from a place name in France. 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 Pettipas (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 Pettipas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.