2000
#4,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,036
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.61
Rare Last name
Pettis
Derived from the French surname Petit, meaning "small" or "little," likely referring to a person of short stature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,990 Americans carry the last name Pettis. That puts it at #4,908 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,898 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pettis 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 Pettis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.0K
1 in 42,898
Census rank
#4,908
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,968 bearers of the surname Pettis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4908th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettis, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.1%. The next largest groups are Black (39.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pettis
The surname Pettis is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the old English word "petit," meaning small or little. The name was initially used as a nickname for a small or diminutive person.
In medieval times, surnames were often given as descriptive nicknames based on a person's physical appearance, occupation, or place of origin. The Pettis surname likely originated in this manner, referring to someone of small stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pettis can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1195, which mention a person named Petitus. This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
The Pettis surname has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Pettysworth in Gloucestershire and Petwood in Staffordshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in certain regions.
Historically, the Pettis name has been associated with several notable individuals. One such example is Sir John Pettis (c. 1550-1614), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury in 1593.
Another noteworthy figure was William Pettis (1608-1668), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Caius College, Cambridge, from 1649 until his death.
In the literary world, Mary Pettis (1623-1678) was an English poet and translator who published works during the 17th century. Her most well-known work was a collection of poems titled "Virgil's Eclogues and Georgics."
Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Pettis surname in America was John Pettis, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 as an indentured servant.
Additionally, Thomas Pettis (1776-1851) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Virginia from 1829 to 1835.
Throughout history, the Pettis surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Pettus, Petteys, Petteys, and Petty, reflecting regional differences and linguistic influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pettis
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettis, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.1%. The next largest groups are Black (39.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pettis 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 Pettis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.1% · 3,564
- Black or African American39.2% · 2,733
- Two or more races4.6% · 321
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 288
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pettis
Pettis 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
#4,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,354
+318 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.49
Rank movement Down 198 places
2020
#4,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,968
-386 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.33
Rank movement Down 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,609 | 7,036 | 2.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,807 | 7,354 | 2.49 | +318 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 198 places |
| 2020 | #4,908 | 6,968 | 2.33 | -386 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 101 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 Pettis 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 | #4,807 | #4,908 | -2.1% |
| Count | 7,354 | 6,968 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.49 | 2.33 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pettis bearers went from 7,354 to 6,968 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,807 to #4,908.
FAQ
Pettis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pettis?
Name Census estimates that about 7,990 living Americans carry the surname Pettis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,898 residents.
How common is Pettis?
Pettis ranks #4,908 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.33 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 6,968 people with the surname Pettis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,990), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.33 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 Pettis.
Has Pettis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pettis went from 7,354 recorded bearers to 6,968. That is a decrease of 386 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,807 to #4,908.
What does the Census say about the background of Pettis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettis, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.1%. The next largest groups are Black (39.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Pettis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.1% (3,564 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pettis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.1%), Black (39.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Pettis (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 Pettis mean?
Derived from the French surname Petit, meaning "small" or "little," likely referring to a person of short 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 Pettis (2.33 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 common is the surname Pettis?
Find out how many people have the last name Pettis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.