2000
#38,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 543
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Petkus
A Lithuanian surname likely derived from a diminutive form of the given name Peter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 667 Americans carry the last name Petkus. That puts it at #40,538 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 513,875 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Petkus 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
667
1 in 513,875
Census rank
#40,538
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
582
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 582 bearers of the surname Petkus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 40538th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Petkus, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Petkus
The surname PETKUS is of Lithuanian origin, emerging in the 15th century. It is derived from the Lithuanian word "petka," which means "heel" or "foot." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname for someone with distinctive feet or a gait.
PETKUS can be traced back to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which encompassed parts of present-day Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and Poland. The earliest known record of the name appears in a 1487 land registry document from the Vilnius region.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, variations of the name, such as Petkauskas and Petkevicius, were found in various Lithuanian chronicles and parish records. These alternative spellings likely emerged due to regional dialects and scribal errors.
One notable bearer of the PETKUS name was Jonas Petkus, a Lithuanian noble and military commander who fought against the Teutonic Knights in the early 16th century. He is mentioned in several historical accounts of the time for his bravery and strategic acumen.
In the 18th century, the PETKUS surname appeared in the records of the Kaunas region, where a family of landowners and merchants bearing the name resided. Antanas Petkus, born in 1742, was a prominent figure in this family, known for his entrepreneurial endeavors and philanthropy.
Another significant figure was Marija Petkute-Bystrovaite, a 19th-century Lithuanian writer and activist who played a crucial role in the Lithuanian National Revival movement. She was born in 1856 and was a vocal advocate for Lithuanian language and culture.
As the Lithuanian diaspora spread throughout the world, the PETKUS name traveled with them. Juozas Petkus, born in 1892, was a Lithuanian-American artist and sculptor who gained recognition for his works depicting Lithuanian cultural themes.
Lastly, Vytautas Petkus, born in 1929, was a prominent Lithuanian dissident who fought against Soviet oppression. He spent years in Soviet labor camps for his activism and played a significant role in the Lithuanian independence movement in the late 20th century.
While the PETKUS surname has maintained its Lithuanian roots, it has also been adopted by individuals of other ethnic backgrounds through marriage or assimilation, further enriching its history and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petkus
Among Census respondents with the surname Petkus, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Petkus 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 Petkus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 542
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 10
- Two or more races1.7% · 10
- Black or African American1.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Petkus
Petkus 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
#45,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 473
-70 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 6,933 places
2020
#40,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 582
+109 bearers (+23.0%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 4,715 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,320 | 543 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #45,253 | 473 | 0.16 | -70 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 6,933 places |
| 2020 | #40,538 | 582 | 0.19 | +109 bearers (+23.0%) | Up 4,715 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 Petkus 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 | #45,253 | #40,538 | 10.4% |
| Count | 473 | 582 | 23.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.19 | 21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Petkus bearers went from 473 to 582 (+23.0% change). The surname moved up 4,715 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,253 to #40,538.
FAQ
Petkus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Petkus?
Name Census estimates that about 667 living Americans carry the surname Petkus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 513,875 residents.
How common is Petkus?
Petkus ranks #40,538 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 582 people with the surname Petkus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (667), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Petkus.
Has Petkus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Petkus went from 473 recorded bearers to 582. That is an increase of 109 (+23.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #45,253 to #40,538.
What does the Census say about the background of Petkus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Petkus, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Petkus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (542 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Petkus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (2.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Petkus (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 Petkus mean?
A Lithuanian surname likely derived from a diminutive form of the given name Peter. 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 Petkus (0.19 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 have the surname Petkus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.