The Petty surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 34,882 people carried this name — #1,005 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 8,450 people counted. That is up 2% from 34,278 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Petty surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the petty’.

An early record he cites: Willelmus Pete, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Petty, Pettey and Pettee.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 600 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Petty was found among the farmers of Yorkshire, West Riding: 10 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Yorkshire, West Riding 10

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

88 families named Petty, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 585 people lived in those households, 6.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Virginia 20
North Carolina 16
Massachusetts 12
New Hampshire 11
New York 9
Maine 8
Vermont 5
South Carolina 5
Pennsylvania 1
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 257 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Petty in American newspapers,
1913–1928.

Newspaper page from The Poplar Standard carrying the name Petty
The Poplar Standard 1928-12-06
Newspaper page from The Lafayette Advertiser carrying the name Petty
The Lafayette Advertiser 1913-07-01
Newspaper page from The Patriot carrying the name Petty
The Patriot 1919-05-17

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,560 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Petty in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

14,628 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Petty. The most, 2,154, date from the 1870s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 6,123
New South Wales 3,805
Queensland 2,545
South Australia 1,193
Western Australia 440
Tasmania 371
ACT (Canberra) 127
Northern Territory 9

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Petty.

Who carried it

People named Petty,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Anne FitzMaurice d. 1737 · correspondent
  • James Petty d. 1822
  • Elizabeth Petty d. 1788
  • Dorothy Petty d. 1680
  • Richard Petty 1501–
  • Elizabeth Petty 1527–1611

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Petty,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,283 records

2,283 records of the Petty name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,199
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 489
  • Other U.S. records 595
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Howard A. Petty

    Born 1918; from Shelby County, Tennessee. U.S. Army, supply nco; killed in action 1950 in South Korea. Buried at Memphis National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Lindsey Petty

    Born 1907 in Texas. Enlisted 1943 at Houston; plumber from Nueces County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1977, buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James Petty

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Majestic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 27; joiner. From Bradford, England; bound for Boston.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,283 records for Petty in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia493 records

493 records of the Petty name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 223
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 109
  • Other Australian records 161
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Caroline Petty

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Elizabeth & Henry, sailing from London in 1846. Native of Bath, Somerset. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1849. Married 1849 in Campbell Town, Tasmania, aged 27.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas Petty

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Carntyne, aged 36; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Mary Margaret A. Petty

    Newsagent of Windsor, Victoria; died 1970.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 493 records for Petty in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada40 records

40 records of the Petty name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 21
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 7
  • Other Canadian records 12
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record J. Edwin Henry Petty

    Lost in the sinking of the Titanic, 1912, aged 27; a crew member. Body recovered.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Chas Petty

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Scan, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John Petty

    Died 1991, aged 76; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 40 records for Petty in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom33 records

33 records of the Petty name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 21
  • Stirling Council burial records 9
  • Welsh wills index cards 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Robertson Petty

    Died 1946, aged 70; buried at Dunblane Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John Petty

    Will proved in 1939; of Westmorland.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. Petty

    King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 33 records for Petty in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand10 records

10 records of the Petty name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 6
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 2
  • Other New Zealand records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Peter Dennis Petty

    Died 1987, aged 59; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Bertha Petty

    Buried in 1910 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 19.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record G. Petty

    New Zealand Field Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Petty in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Ireland5 records

5 records of the Petty name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Rebecca Petty

    Died 1841, aged 34; buried at White Chapel, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jeremiah Petty

    Died 1896, aged 51; buried at White Chapel, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joseph Petty

    Died 1882, aged 52; buried at White Chapel, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Petty in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France2 records

2 records of the Petty name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Joseph Ross Petty

    Born 1921 in the United States; died 2000 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Vincent Petty

    Born 1918 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Lourdes (Hautes-Pyrénées).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Petty name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Donald William Petty

    Married in 1946 in Apeldoorn.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Petty name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Rudolf Petty

    From Bensheim, Starkenburg. Reported taken prisoner in the Prussian casualty list of 19 February 1916 (Landwehr Infantry Regiment No. 99).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Petty.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Petty is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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