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

Pettit, 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 Pettit surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pettit in America

Pettit is the 1892nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pettit surname appeared 19,004 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Pettit.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pettit 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 Pettit

The surname Pettit originated in France and is derived from the Old French word "petit," meaning "small" or "little." It was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone of small stature or a younger son in a family.

The name Pettit can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of France, including Normandy, Picardy, and Île-de-France. It is believed that the name was introduced to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066, when many French settlers brought their surnames with them.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pettit appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Petitius" in this historical document.

In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Jean Pettit, a French scholar and philosopher who taught at the University of Paris. Another early example is Robert Pettit, a merchant from Rouen, France, who was mentioned in records from the late 14th century.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Pettit was also associated with several place names in France, such as Petitville and Petitmont, which likely contributed to the spread and variations of the name.

In England, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Pettit was John Pettit, born around 1450 in Oxfordshire. Another notable bearer was Sir William Pettit (1623-1707), an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.

Other historical figures with the surname Pettit include Thomas Pettit (1635-1718), an English Baptist minister and author; Jean Pettit (1608-1691), a French Jesuit missionary who worked in Canada; and Ambrose Pettit (1785-1859), an American politician and judge from Indiana.

Throughout history, the surname Pettit has been subject to various spellings, such as Petit, Petitt, Pettitt, and Pettitts, reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pettit

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

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 Pettit 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 Pettit 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 Pettit was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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