2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pettrone
A surname possibly derived from the Italian word "pettire" meaning "to comb" or related to a textile trade.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Pettrone. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pettrone 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Pettrone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettrone, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pettrone
The surname Pettrone has its origins in Italy, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the southern regions of Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania and Calabria. The name is derived from the Italian word "pettrone," which means "large chest" or "large breast," likely referring to a physical characteristic of an early bearer of the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pettrone can be found in a document dated 1589 from the town of Salerno, in the region of Campania. This document mentions a certain Giovanni Pettrone, who was a landowner and farmer. Another early reference is from the town of Reggio Calabria, where a Giulio Pettrone is recorded as being a merchant in the year 1612.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Pettrone began to spread to other parts of Italy, with notable bearers including Antonio Pettrone (1678-1742), a renowned painter from Naples, and Giuseppe Pettrone (1723-1798), a philosopher and theologian from Rome.
As the name spread, variations in spelling began to emerge, such as Petrone, Petrrone, and Pettroni. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciations.
One of the most prominent figures with the surname Pettrone was Carlo Pettrone (1826-1892), an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian parliament during the late 19th century. Another notable bearer was Raffaele Pettrone (1851-1919), a military officer and veteran of the Wars of Italian Unification.
In the 20th century, the name Pettrone gained further recognition with individuals such as Giuseppe Pettrone (1903-1986), an Italian film director and screenwriter, and Vincenzo Pettrone (1928-2003), a renowned sculptor and artist from Naples.
While the name Pettrone is still relatively uncommon outside of Italy, it has maintained a strong presence in the regions of Campania and Calabria, where it originated. The name continues to hold significance as a part of Italy's rich cultural and historical heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pettrone
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettrone, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pettrone 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 Pettrone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 114
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pettrone
Pettrone 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+10 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 767 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,353 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 767 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 1,353 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 Pettrone 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 | #144,141 | #142,788 | 0.9% |
| Count | 115 | 119 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pettrone bearers went from 115 to 119 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 1,353 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #142,788.
FAQ
Pettrone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pettrone?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Pettrone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Pettrone?
Pettrone ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Pettrone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Pettrone.
Has Pettrone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pettrone went from 115 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 4 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Pettrone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettrone, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Pettrone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pettrone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Pettrone (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 Pettrone mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Italian word "pettire" meaning "to comb" or related to a textile trade. 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 Pettrone (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 are called Pettrone?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Pettrone is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.