Explore the Family Name Petras
The meaning of Petras
1. Czech and Slovak (mainly Petráš, also Petraš, Petrás); Rusyn (from Slovakia; mainly Petraš); Serbian and Slovenian (Petraš); Croatian (also Petraš); Hungarian (Petrás): from a derivative of the personal name Czech Petr, Slovak Peter, Rusyn Petro, Serbian and Croatian Petar, Hungarian Péter. The Hungarian name may be of Slovak origin. 2. Americanized or Germanized form of Polish Pietras, and a very rare Polish variant of this surname. 3. Greek: occupational name for a quarryman, from petra ‘stone, rock’ + the occupational suffix -as.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Petras in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Petras has seen a decrease between 2000 and 2010. In terms of ranking, it slipped from 15,252 in 2000 to 17,896 in 2010, which translates to a drop of 17.34%. The count of individuals bearing this surname also decreased by 11.75% within the same period, from 1,770 to 1,562. Proportionally, for every 100,000 people, there were 0.66 named Petras in 2000 compared to 0.53 in 2010, marking a decline of 19.7%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,252 | #17,896 | -17.34% |
| Count | 1,770 | 1,562 | -11.75% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.66 | 0.53 | -19.7% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Petras
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Petras also experienced some changes as per the Decennial U.S. Census data. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased from 1.81% in 2000 to 2.43% in 2010, a growth of 34.25%. There was also a rise in those identifying with two or more races, up by 13.27% to 1.28% in 2010 from 1.13% in 2000. The proportion of individuals identifying as White decreased slightly by 0.95% to 94.3% in 2010 from 95.2% in 2000. The Hispanic representation saw a significant increase of 61.68%, reaching 1.73% in 2010 up from 1.07% in 2000. However, the percentages of those identifying as Black, American Indian and Alaskan Native were suppressed (S) for privacy reasons in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.2% | 94.3% | -0.95% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.81% | 2.43% | 34.25% |
| Hispanic | 1.07% | 1.73% | 61.68% |
| Two or More Races | 1.13% | 1.28% | 13.27% |
| Black | 0.45% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.34% | 0% | 0% |