2000
#1,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,653
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.91
Uncommon Last name
Pettit
A diminutive of the French "petit," meaning "small" or "little," often referring to a person of small stature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,963 Americans carry the last name Pettit. That puts it at #1,930 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,350 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pettit 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 Pettit with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,350
Census rank
#1,930
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,281 bearers of the surname Pettit in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1930th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettit, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pettit
The surname Pettit originated in France and is derived from the Old French word "petit," meaning "small" or "little." It was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone of small stature or a younger son in a family.
The name Pettit can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of France, including Normandy, Picardy, and Île-de-France. It is believed that the name was introduced to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066, when many French settlers brought their surnames with them.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pettit appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Petitius" in this historical document.
In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Jean Pettit, a French scholar and philosopher who taught at the University of Paris. Another early example is Robert Pettit, a merchant from Rouen, France, who was mentioned in records from the late 14th century.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Pettit was also associated with several place names in France, such as Petitville and Petitmont, which likely contributed to the spread and variations of the name.
In England, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Pettit was John Pettit, born around 1450 in Oxfordshire. Another notable bearer was Sir William Pettit (1623-1707), an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.
Other historical figures with the surname Pettit include Thomas Pettit (1635-1718), an English Baptist minister and author; Jean Pettit (1608-1691), a French Jesuit missionary who worked in Canada; and Ambrose Pettit (1785-1859), an American politician and judge from Indiana.
Throughout history, the surname Pettit has been subject to various spellings, such as Petit, Petitt, Pettitt, and Pettitts, reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pettit
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettit, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pettit 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 Pettit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 15,999
- Two or more races4.0% · 728
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 656
- Black or African American2.9% · 527
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 225
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 146
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pettit
Pettit 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
#1,892
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,004
+351 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 6.44
Rank movement Down 131 places
2020
#1,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,281
-723 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 6.12
Rank movement Down 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,761 | 18,653 | 6.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,892 | 19,004 | 6.44 | +351 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 131 places |
| 2020 | #1,930 | 18,281 | 6.12 | -723 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 38 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 Pettit 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 | #1,892 | #1,930 | -2.0% |
| Count | 19,004 | 18,281 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 6.44 | 6.12 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pettit bearers went from 19,004 to 18,281 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,892 to #1,930.
FAQ
Pettit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pettit?
Name Census estimates that about 20,963 living Americans carry the surname Pettit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,350 residents.
How common is Pettit?
Pettit ranks #1,930 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,281 people with the surname Pettit. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,963), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Pettit.
Has Pettit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pettit went from 19,004 recorded bearers to 18,281. That is a decrease of 723 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,892 to #1,930.
What does the Census say about the background of Pettit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pettit, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Pettit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (15,999 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pettit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Pettit (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 Pettit mean?
A diminutive of the French "petit," meaning "small" or "little," often referring to a person of small stature. 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 Pettit (6.12 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 Pettit?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.