2000
#30,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 734
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Pettet
A Huguenot surname derived from the French diminutive of Pierre (Peter).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 881 Americans carry the last name Pettet. That puts it at #32,173 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 389,051 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pettet 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pettet with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
881
1 in 389,051
Census rank
#32,173
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
768
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 768 bearers of the surname Pettet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32173rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettet, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pettet
The surname Pettet has its origins in France, specifically in the northern regions of the country. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "petit," meaning "small" or "little," and was likely a descriptive surname initially given to someone of small stature or a younger sibling.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pettet surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Petitt," which was a common spelling variation at the time.
During the 13th century, the Pettet surname was associated with several notable figures. One such individual was Robert Pettet, a merchant and landowner from the Normandy region of France, who was born around 1220. Another was Jehan Pettet, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France, born in 1307.
As the surname spread across Europe, it also took on various spellings and forms based on local dialects and languages. In England, for example, the name was sometimes spelled as "Pettit" or "Pettitt," while in Scotland, it was often rendered as "Pettie."
One of the most famous bearers of the Pettet surname was Sir William Pettet, an English military officer and member of Parliament, who lived from 1623 to 1707. He played a significant role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which saw the overthrow of King James II and the establishment of the constitutional monarchy in England.
Another notable figure was Jean-Baptiste Pettet, a French philosopher and writer born in 1754. He is best known for his work "Essai sur la Nature Humaine" (Essay on Human Nature), which explored themes of ethics, morality, and the human condition.
In the 19th century, the Pettet surname was associated with several prominent individuals in various fields. One such person was James Pettet, a British artist and painter born in 1828, known for his landscapes and portraits. Another was Thomas Pettet, an English architect born in 1849, who designed several notable buildings in London and other parts of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pettet
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettet, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pettet 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 Pettet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 694
- Two or more races4.3% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 5
- Black or African American0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pettet
Pettet 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
#32,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 698
-36 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 2,745 places
2020
#32,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 768
+70 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 692 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,120 | 734 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,865 | 698 | 0.24 | -36 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 2,745 places |
| 2020 | #32,173 | 768 | 0.26 | +70 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 692 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 Pettet 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 | #32,865 | #32,173 | 2.1% |
| Count | 698 | 768 | 10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.26 | 7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pettet bearers went from 698 to 768 (+10.0% change). The surname moved up 692 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,865 to #32,173.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pettet
FAQ
Pettet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pettet?
Name Census estimates that about 881 living Americans carry the surname Pettet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 389,051 residents.
How common is Pettet?
Pettet ranks #32,173 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 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 768 people with the surname Pettet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (881), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 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 Pettet.
Has Pettet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pettet went from 698 recorded bearers to 768. That is an increase of 70 (+10.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #32,865 to #32,173.
What does the Census say about the background of Pettet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettet, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Pettet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (694 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pettet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Pettet (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 Pettet mean?
A Huguenot surname derived from the French diminutive of Pierre (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 Pettet (0.26 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 share the surname Pettet?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.