NameCensus.

UK surname

Pettit

A diminutive of the French "petit," meaning "small" or "little," often referring to a person of small stature.

In the 1881 census there were 2,369 people recorded with the Pettit surname, ranking it #1,880 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,807, ranked #2,407, down from #1,880 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St James and Hartest. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North East Derbyshire, South Cambridgeshire and St Edmundsbury.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pettit is 3,239 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 18.5%.

1881 census count

2,369

Ranked #1,880

Modern count

2,807

2016, ranked #2,407

Peak year

1911

3,239 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pettit had 2,369 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,880 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,807 in 2016, ranked #2,407.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,239 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Pettit surname distribution map

The map shows where the Pettit surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Pettit surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pettit over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,527 #1,873
1861 historical 1,227 #2,324
1881 historical 2,369 #1,880
1891 historical 2,205 #2,121
1901 historical 2,868 #1,951
1911 historical 3,239 #1,606
1997 modern 2,844 #2,275
1998 modern 2,906 #2,317
1999 modern 2,902 #2,332
2000 modern 2,916 #2,309
2001 modern 2,871 #2,294
2002 modern 2,924 #2,307
2003 modern 2,843 #2,310
2004 modern 2,789 #2,356
2005 modern 2,738 #2,365
2006 modern 2,704 #2,391
2007 modern 2,718 #2,401
2008 modern 2,726 #2,411
2009 modern 2,796 #2,413
2010 modern 2,869 #2,401
2011 modern 2,835 #2,395
2012 modern 2,751 #2,428
2013 modern 2,809 #2,417
2014 modern 2,848 #2,396
2015 modern 2,819 #2,403
2016 modern 2,807 #2,407

Geography

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Where Pettits are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St James, Hartest and Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North East Derbyshire, South Cambridgeshire, St Edmundsbury and East Northamptonshire. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 St James Suffolk
3 Hartest Suffolk
4 London parishes London 3
5 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North East Derbyshire 012 North East Derbyshire
2 South Cambridgeshire 018 South Cambridgeshire
3 St Edmundsbury 007 St Edmundsbury
4 East Northamptonshire 008 East Northamptonshire
5 South Cambridgeshire 003 South Cambridgeshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pettit

These lists show first names that appear often with the Pettit surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pettit

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Pettit, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Pettit surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Pettit household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Pettit is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Pettit is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Pettit falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Pettit is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Pettit, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pettit families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pettit surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 405 Pettits recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.75x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 405 1.75x
Suffolk 385 13.68x
Northamptonshire 216 9.94x
Cambridgeshire 195 13.33x
Essex 171 3.75x
Kent 153 1.94x
Surrey 139 1.23x
Bedfordshire 124 10.37x
Sussex 112 2.88x
Norfolk 50 1.41x
Yorkshire 47 0.21x
Berkshire 43 2.48x
Huntingdonshire 37 8.07x
Warwickshire 36 0.62x
Lancashire 33 0.12x
Buckinghamshire 32 2.29x
Lincolnshire 26 0.70x
Hertfordshire 23 1.44x
Cheshire 22 0.43x
Derbyshire 20 0.55x
Oxfordshire 14 0.98x
Durham 12 0.17x
Nottinghamshire 11 0.35x
Staffordshire 11 0.14x
Hampshire 10 0.21x
Leicestershire 9 0.35x
Monmouthshire 5 0.30x
Royal Navy 4 1.45x
Wiltshire 3 0.15x
Channel Islands 2 0.29x
Cornwall 2 0.08x
Dorset 2 0.13x
Dunbartonshire 2 0.32x
Midlothian 2 0.06x
Shropshire 2 0.10x
Somerset 2 0.05x
Worcestershire 2 0.07x
Angus 1 0.05x
Glamorgan 1 0.02x
Lanarkshire 1 0.01x
Perthshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 59 Pettits recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.64x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 59 2.64x
Bury St Edmunds St James 45 59.88x
Hackney London 45 3.47x
St Pancras London 42 2.26x
Hartest 38 780.29x
Walthamstow 37 22.54x
West Ham 36 3.58x
Lewisham 30 7.14x
Harrold 27 333.33x
St Andrewthe Less 27 16.15x
Mile End Old Town 25 6.86x
Lambeth 24 1.19x
Bletsoe 23 867.92x
Bozeat 23 243.90x
Wickhambrook 22 208.14x
Bottisham 21 168.54x
Butley 20 675.68x
Wellingborough 19 17.39x
Godmanchester 18 103.75x
Birmingham 17 0.88x
Boyton 17 772.73x
Earls Barton 16 86.35x
Glemsford 16 80.97x
Poddington 16 372.96x
Seaford 16 120.85x
Sible Hedingham 16 104.99x
Aston 15 0.94x
Bow London 15 5.10x
Chelsea London 15 2.15x
Clerkenwell London 15 2.75x
Deal 15 22.31x
Hargrave 15 451.81x
Newington 15 1.76x
Owston 15 143.13x
St Marylebone London 15 1.22x
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 14 21.94x
Histon 14 182.53x
Littleport 14 50.09x
Northampton St Peter 14 106.06x
Rushden 14 48.16x
Shoreditch London 14 1.40x
Wollaston 14 117.15x
Battersea 13 1.53x
Bradfield St George 13 371.43x
Bromley London 13 2.56x
Finchley 13 14.68x
Great Welnetham 13 372.49x
Irchester 13 96.37x
Northampton St Sepulchre 13 11.76x
Poplar London 13 2.98x
St George Hanover 13 4.31x
St Peters 13 35.66x
Streatham 13 7.59x
Claylane 12 23.87x
Hargrave 12 427.05x
Mildenhall 12 40.13x
Brighton 11 1.40x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 11 20.83x
Framfield 11 91.14x
Newport Pagnell 11 37.67x
Orsett 11 92.51x
Preston 11 16.17x
Saffron Walden 11 22.83x
Scole Cum Frenze 11 213.18x
Wood Ditton 11 89.94x
Castle Ashby 10 595.24x
Cowlinge 10 185.87x
Finedon 10 52.55x
Fulham London 10 2.99x
Greenwich 10 2.72x
Horseheath 10 232.02x
Kingston On Thames 10 3.70x
Little Shelford 10 245.10x
Margate St John Baptist 10 6.93x
New Windsor 10 17.16x
Olney 10 51.79x
Stowmarket 10 30.76x
Birkenhead 9 2.21x
Canterbury St George 9 95.14x
Putney 9 8.55x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Pettit surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 133
Elizabeth 95
Sarah 75
Eliza 48
Emma 43
Ellen 39
Jane 33
Emily 31
Alice 29
Ann 28
Hannah 28
Harriet 27
Annie 26
Louisa 23
Caroline 22
Martha 22
Susan 22
Charlotte 21
Florence 20
Ada 18
Clara 17
Edith 16
Maria 15
Fanny 13
Harriett 13
Anna 10
Margaret 10
Kate 9
Lucy 9
Susannah 8
Agnes 7
Amelia 7
Esther 7
Julia 7
Rose 7
Ruth 7
Jessie 6
Laura 6
Lydia 6
Minnie 6
Sophia 6
Amy 5
Anne 5
Eleanor 5
Isabella 5
Phoebe 5
Beatrice 4
Ethel 4
Matilda 4
Rhoda 4

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Pettit surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 149
John 118
George 99
James 78
Charles 73
Thomas 69
Henry 50
Arthur 36
Alfred 34
Frederick 30
Harry 29
Robert 27
Edward 25
Samuel 24
Herbert 22
Walter 22
Ernest 17
Joseph 14
Albert 13
Frank 12
Richard 12
Edwin 8
David 7
Stephen 7
Wm. 6
Edgar 5
Francis 5
Phillip 5
Thos. 5
Chas. 4
Daniel 4
Ralph 4
Clement 3
Cornelius 3
Earnest 3
Edmund 3
Fred 3
Geo. 3
Isaac 3
Lewis 3
Sidney 3
Willie 3
Ephraim 2
Jethro 2
Larry 2
Oliver 2
Percy 2
Philip 2
Richd. 2
Saml. 2

FAQ

Pettit surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pettit surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,369 people were recorded with the Pettit surname. That placed it at #1,880 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pettit surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,807 in 2016. That gives Pettit a modern rank of #2,407.

What does the Pettit surname mean?

A diminutive of the French "petit," meaning "small" or "little," often referring to a person of small stature.

What does the Pettit map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Pettit bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.