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

Petty, 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 Petty surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Petty in America

Petty is the 1005th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Petty surname appeared 34,882 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 12 people would have the surname Petty.

We can also compare 2010 data for Petty 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 Petty

The surname Petty originated in England and is believed to have derived from the Old French word "petit," meaning small or little. It likely emerged as a nickname for a person of short stature or a younger child in a family during the Middle Ages.

The name Petty is found in various spellings, such as Pety, Pettie, and Petye, in early English records and documents. One of the earliest documented instances is in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a William Pety.

In the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, compiled by order of William the Conqueror, there are several references to locations with names containing the root "petit," suggesting the presence of individuals bearing this surname or its variants in those areas.

The Petty surname has a long and notable history in England, with several prominent individuals bearing this name. One of the most famous was Sir William Petty, an English economist, scientist, and philosopher who lived from 1623 to 1687. He made significant contributions to the fields of statistics, political economy, and surveying.

Another notable figure was John Petty, born in 1601, who served as a member of the English Parliament during the 17th century and was involved in the English Civil War. William Petty, born in 1737, was a notable English writer and artist known for his landscape paintings and travel writings.

In the literary world, Tom Petty, born in 1950 and died in 2017, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the lead singer of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Although not directly related to the English surname, his name highlights the enduring presence of the Petty name.

The Petty surname has also been associated with certain place names in England, such as Petty France, a historic area in London, and Petty Curry, a village in Somersetshire. These place names may have their origins linked to the surname or vice versa, reflecting the interconnectedness of surnames and geographical locations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Petty

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

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

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

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