2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pitra
A surname derived from the Greek name Petros, meaning "rock" or "stone."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Pitra. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pitra 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Pitra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pitra, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Black (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pitra
The surname PITRA has its origins in Central Europe, specifically in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It dates back to the 15th century and is believed to be derived from the old Czech word "Pitr," which means "Peter." This name was likely given to someone with a connection to St. Peter, either as a personal name or a place name related to a church dedicated to the saint.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PITRA can be found in a document from 1472 in the city of Olomouc, which was then part of the Kingdom of Bohemia. The document mentions a certain Jan PITRA, who was a merchant and landowner in the area.
In the 16th century, there are records of the PITRA family residing in the town of Litovice, near the city of Brno. One notable member of this branch was Václav PITRA, who was born in 1567 and served as a magistrate in Litovice.
The name PITRA also appears in some historical manuscripts from the 17th century, such as the Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Regni Bohemiae, which contains references to several individuals bearing this surname.
A notable figure from the 18th century was Jan Evangelista PITRA, who was born in 1736 in the town of Velké Meziříčí. He was a renowned scholar and theologian, and served as the abbot of the Benedictine monastery in Prague.
In the 19th century, the PITRA surname gained prominence with the scholar and cardinal Jean-Baptiste PITRA, who was born in 1812 in the town of Champforgeuil, France. Despite being born in France, his family roots can be traced back to the Czech lands.
Other notable individuals with the surname PITRA include the Czech writer and journalist Karel PITRA (1893-1953), and the Slovak painter Ján PITRA (1918-1981).
While the name PITRA is most commonly associated with the Czech Republic and Slovakia, it can also be found in other parts of Central and Eastern Europe, such as Poland and Hungary, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pitra
Among Census respondents with the surname Pitra, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Black (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pitra 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 Pitra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 9
- Black or African American5.5% · 6
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pitra
Pitra 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-14 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,758 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-15 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,612 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 18,758 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 14,612 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 Pitra 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 | #135,593 | #150,205 | -10.8% |
| Count | 124 | 109 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pitra bearers went from 124 to 109 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 14,612 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #150,205.
FAQ
Pitra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pitra?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Pitra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Pitra?
Pitra ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Pitra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Pitra.
Has Pitra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pitra went from 124 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Pitra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pitra, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Black (5.5%). 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 Pitra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pitra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Hispanic (8.3%), Black (5.5%). 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 Pitra (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 Pitra mean?
A surname derived from the Greek name Petros, meaning "rock" or "stone." 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 Pitra (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 Americans have the surname Pitra?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.