Explore the Family Name Petit
The meaning of Petit
French, Walloon, Catalan, English, Jewish (from southern France), West Indian (mainly Haiti), and Mauritian: from (Old) French, Catalan, and Middle English petit ‘small’, hence a nickname for a small man (or an ironic nickname for a big man), or a distinguishing name for the younger of two bearers of the same personal name. Compare Little, Petee, and Petite. History: Nicolas Petit dit Lapré/Laprée from Le Gué-d’Alleré in Charente-Maritime, France, married Marie Pouponnel in Trois-Rivières, QC, in 1656. His descendants also bear a variant of the former secondary surname or dit (‘also called’) name Lapré(e); see Lapre. Charles Petit from Anneville-Ambourville in Seine-Maritime, France, married Jeanne Rossignol (Martin and Renée Desjardins) in Quebec City, QC, in 1670. Pierre Petit dit Gobin from Lyon in Rhône, France, married Marguerite Véron in Trois-Rivières, QC, in 1692. Pierre Petit dit Saint-Pierre from Évreux in Eure, France, married Judith Miville in Quebec City, QC, in 1758. His descendants also bear the former secondary surname or dit name St. Pierre. — This surname is listed in the register of Huguenot ancestors recognized by the Huguenot Society of America and also in the similar register of the Huguenot Society of South Carolina. Some characteristic forenames: French/Haitian Alain, Michel, Normand, Mireille, Philippe, Pierre, Achille, Armand, Jean Claude, Jean Jacques, Ketly, Adrien.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Petit in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Petit has seen a rise in popularity in the United States. In 2000, it ranked 5869th and increased to 5692nd by 2010, representing a 3.02% change. The total count of people with the Petit surname also grew from 5403 in 2000 to 6090 in 2010, a significant increase of 12.72%. This resulted in a slight growth in the proportion per 100k people, moving from 2.0 in 2000 to 2.06 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,869 | #5,692 | 3.02% |
| Count | 5,403 | 6,090 | 12.72% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2 | 2.06 | 3% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Petit
Looking into the ethnic identity associated with the surname Petit based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, some shifts can be observed between 2000 and 2010. The largest group identifying as White decreased from 79.62% to 73.68%, while those identifying as Black saw an increase from 13.86% to 18.70%. There was also noticeable growth within the Hispanic community, rising from 2.98% to 5.01%. The Asian/Pacific Islander group saw an increase from 0.37% to 0.51%. Those identifying as two or more races dropped from 2.63% to 1.64%, and the American Indian and Alaskan Native community saw a small decrease from 0.54% to 0.46%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 79.62% | 73.68% | -7.46% |
| Black | 13.86% | 18.7% | 34.92% |
| Hispanic | 2.98% | 5.01% | 68.12% |
| Two or More Races | 2.63% | 1.64% | -37.64% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.37% | 0.51% | 37.84% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.54% | 0.46% | -14.81% |
Petit ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Petit is French & German, which comprises 37.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (29.8%) and Spanish & Portuguese (9.0%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Nigerian, Indigenous American, and Scandinavian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| French & German | 37.8% |
| British & Irish | 29.8% |
| Spanish & Portuguese | 9.0% |
| Other | 23.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Petit
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Petit have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 54.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 54.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 54.30% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 53.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 53.70% |
What Petit haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Petit is R-Z209, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z209 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-M167 and L-M349, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Bernard, Miller, Renaud, Gross, Day, Brown, Rhodes, David, Adams, Carter.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Petit surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Petit have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Petit" Surname 27.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Petit" Surname 30.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Petit" Surname 14.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Petit" Surname 8.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Petit?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Petit are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition