2000
#6,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,917
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.82
Rare Last name
Pettus
A surname of French origin, derived from the Old French word "petit," meaning "small" or "little."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,619 Americans carry the last name Pettus. That puts it at #6,628 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,999 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pettus 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
5.6K
1 in 60,999
Census rank
#6,628
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,900 bearers of the surname Pettus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6628th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettus, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.0%. The next largest groups are Black (38.3%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pettus
The surname Pettus has its origins in the medieval era, emerging from the Anglo-Norman territories of England and France. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "petit," meaning small or little. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive surname given to someone of diminutive stature or a younger member of a family.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Pettus" in the county of Lincolnshire, England. This reference indicates that the surname was already well-established in the region by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Pettus appeared in various historical records and documents across England. In the 13th century, a certain William Pettus was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, while a John Pettus was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.
As the centuries progressed, the Pettus family branched out and established roots in different parts of England. One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Pettus (1613-1690), an English politician and Deputy Governor of the Royal African Company. He served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Norfolk and Hastings.
Another prominent figure was Sir Silius Pettus (1676-1746), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Malmesbury and Westbury. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society and made significant contributions to the fields of agriculture and horticulture.
In the 18th century, Thomas Pettus (1737-1806) gained recognition as a renowned English antiquarian and topographer. He authored several works on the history and antiquities of various counties in England, including Norfolk and Suffolk.
Across the Atlantic, the name Pettus also took root in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances was that of Thomas Pettus (1626-1672), who settled in Virginia in the mid-17th century and became a prominent planter and landowner.
Another notable American bearer of the name was Edmund Pettus (1821-1907), a Confederate General during the American Civil War and later a U.S. Senator from Alabama. He is perhaps best known for his role in the infamous "Bloody Sunday" march in Selma, Alabama, in 1965, during the Civil Rights Movement.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and notable individuals associated with the surname Pettus, which has left an indelible mark on both British and American history over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pettus
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettus, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.0%. The next largest groups are Black (38.3%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Pettus 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 Pettus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.0% · 2,546
- Black or African American38.3% · 1,879
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 207
- Two or more races4.1% · 200
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pettus
Pettus 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
#6,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,204
+287 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 147 places
2020
#6,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,900
-304 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,373 | 4,917 | 1.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,520 | 5,204 | 1.76 | +287 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 147 places |
| 2020 | #6,628 | 4,900 | 1.64 | -304 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 108 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 Pettus 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 | #6,520 | #6,628 | -1.7% |
| Count | 5,204 | 4,900 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.76 | 1.64 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pettus bearers went from 5,204 to 4,900 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,520 to #6,628.
FAQ
Pettus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pettus?
Name Census estimates that about 5,619 living Americans carry the surname Pettus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,999 residents.
How common is Pettus?
Pettus ranks #6,628 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.64 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 4,900 people with the surname Pettus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,619), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.64 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 Pettus.
Has Pettus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pettus went from 5,204 recorded bearers to 4,900. That is a decrease of 304 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,520 to #6,628.
What does the Census say about the background of Pettus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettus, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.0%. The next largest groups are Black (38.3%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Pettus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.0% (2,546 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pettus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.0%), Black (38.3%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Pettus (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 Pettus mean?
A surname of French origin, derived from the Old French word "petit," meaning "small" or "little." 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 Pettus (1.64 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 Pettus?
Want to know how common the surname Pettus is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.