NameCensus.

UK surname

Pettitt

A surname derived from the diminutive of the given name Peter.

In the 1881 census there were 1,610 people recorded with the Pettitt surname, ranking it #2,654 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,020, ranked #2,228, up from #2,654 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Wickhambrook and Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St Edmundsbury, East Cambridgeshire and Forest Heath.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pettitt is 3,370 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 87.6%.

1881 census count

1,610

Ranked #2,654

Modern count

3,020

2016, ranked #2,228

Peak year

1999

3,370 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pettitt had 1,610 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,654 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,020 in 2016, ranked #2,228.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,285 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Pettitt surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pettitt surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pettitt 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 697 #3,742
1861 historical 756 #3,617
1881 historical 1,610 #2,654
1891 historical 2,111 #2,205
1901 historical 3,006 #1,859
1911 historical 3,285 #1,589
1997 modern 3,243 #1,984
1998 modern 3,362 #1,989
1999 modern 3,370 #2,007
2000 modern 3,335 #2,020
2001 modern 3,268 #2,017
2002 modern 3,275 #2,056
2003 modern 3,210 #2,045
2004 modern 3,191 #2,060
2005 modern 3,074 #2,102
2006 modern 3,050 #2,129
2007 modern 3,050 #2,146
2008 modern 3,049 #2,155
2009 modern 3,121 #2,165
2010 modern 3,157 #2,190
2011 modern 3,123 #2,184
2012 modern 3,005 #2,219
2013 modern 3,080 #2,204
2014 modern 3,129 #2,190
2015 modern 3,066 #2,205
2016 modern 3,020 #2,228

Geography

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Where Pettitts are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to St Edmundsbury, East Cambridgeshire and Forest Heath. 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 Wickhambrook Suffolk
3 London parishes London 3
4 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
5 Irthlingborough Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St Edmundsbury 008 St Edmundsbury
2 St Edmundsbury 010 St Edmundsbury
3 St Edmundsbury 009 St Edmundsbury
4 East Cambridgeshire 001 East Cambridgeshire
5 Forest Heath 004 Forest Heath

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pettitt

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pettitt

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Pettitt, 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 Pettitt surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Pettitt 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Pettitt is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Pettitt 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

Pettitt falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Pettitt 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 Pettitt, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Pettitt

The surname Pettitt has its origins in England, emerging during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French personal name "Petit," meaning "small" or "little." This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone of diminutive stature or as a term of endearment.

In the early days of surname formation, it was common for descriptive nicknames and occupational titles to evolve into hereditary surnames. The name Pettitt traces its roots back to the 12th century, with various early spellings such as Petyt, Pettyt, and Pettett.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire in 1199, where a Robert Petit is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also make reference to a William Pety in Oxfordshire.

The Domesday Book, the famous survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Pettitt. However, it does include several entries with the surname Le Petit, which is the French equivalent and likely a precursor to the English form.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Pettitt throughout history include:

1. William Pettitt (c. 1565 - 1638), an English clergyman and religious writer who served as the Archdeacon of Grantham. 2. John Pettitt (1613 - 1682), an English physician and author known for his work on child health and midwifery. 3. Thomas Pettitt (1758 - 1831), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. 4. Charles Pettitt (1799 - 1856), an English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. Peter in Vauxhall. 5. Henry Pettitt (1848 - 1914), a British painter known for his landscapes and seascapes, many of which depicted scenes from the English countryside.

The surname Pettitt has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Pettitt's Brow in Wiltshire and Pettitt's Farm in Hertfordshire, indicating the presence of families bearing this name in those locations over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pettitt families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pettitt 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 224 Pettitts recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.43x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 224 1.43x
Suffolk 196 10.30x
Essex 170 5.51x
Northamptonshire 152 10.34x
Sussex 142 5.39x
Surrey 126 1.65x
Kent 101 1.89x
Cambridgeshire 97 9.80x
Yorkshire 61 0.39x
Lancashire 57 0.31x
Norfolk 43 1.79x
Warwickshire 38 0.96x
Staffordshire 26 0.49x
Hampshire 25 0.78x
Huntingdonshire 19 6.12x
Cheshire 15 0.43x
Worcestershire 15 0.74x
Hertfordshire 13 1.21x
Lincolnshire 13 0.52x
Berkshire 12 1.02x
Buckinghamshire 10 1.06x
Leicestershire 10 0.58x
Denbighshire 8 1.36x
Angus 4 0.28x
Gloucestershire 4 0.13x
Cumberland 3 0.22x
Derbyshire 3 0.12x
Monmouthshire 3 0.27x
Westmorland 3 0.87x
Wiltshire 3 0.22x
Royal Navy 2 1.07x
Bedfordshire 1 0.12x
Channel Islands 1 0.22x
Devon 1 0.03x
Somerset 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bury St Edmunds St James in Suffolk leads with 30 Pettitts recorded in 1881 and an index of 59.01x.

Place Total Index
Bury St Edmunds St James 30 59.01x
Castle Camps 30 630.25x
Islington London 27 1.78x
Irthlingborough 25 173.49x
Raunds 25 167.00x
Heathfield 23 215.36x
Hackney London 21 2.40x
Ousden 21 1272.73x
Wellingborough 21 28.41x
Lambeth 20 1.47x
Bermondsey 19 4.08x
Brighton 19 3.57x
Northampton All Sts 18 36.09x
Birmingham 17 1.29x
Bures St Mary 17 590.28x
Northampton Priory St 17 19.27x
St Pancras London 17 1.35x
Bethnal Green London 16 2.36x
Horningsea 16 727.27x
Mayfield 16 102.70x
Northampton St Giles 16 28.58x
Kensington London 14 1.61x
Kings Norton 14 7.65x
Skerton 14 91.98x
Tonbridge 14 7.28x
Harrow On The Hill 13 41.64x
Saffron Walden 13 39.89x
Littleport 12 63.46x
Manchester 12 1.44x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 11 30.80x
Camberwell 11 1.10x
St Andrewthe Less 11 9.73x
Finningham 10 444.44x
Hammersmith London 10 2.60x
Moss Side 10 10.25x
Mount Bures 10 675.68x
St George Hanover 10 4.90x
West Ham 10 1.47x
Wilby 10 456.62x
Aston 9 0.83x
Chelsea London 9 1.91x
Hastings St Leonards 9 23.24x
Long Melford 9 50.88x
Rottingdean 9 100.00x
Shoreditch London 9 1.33x
Southwark St John 9 18.83x
Stoke Goldington 9 208.33x
Ardleigh 8 93.57x
Chapel 8 416.67x
Edgbaston 8 6.55x
Godstone 8 58.65x
Hockham 8 293.04x
Hove 8 6.92x
Iden 8 268.46x
Little Braxted 8 1269.84x
Llanrwst Capel Garmon 8 169.13x
Arlington 7 222.93x
Ashdon 7 155.90x
Burton Upon Trent 7 5.67x
Bythorn 7 510.95x
Cheveley 7 207.10x
Eastbourne 7 5.77x
Ipswich St Mary Key 7 141.70x
Jevington 7 443.04x
Littlebury 7 164.32x
Newcastle Under Lyme 7 7.50x
Poplar London 7 2.37x
Southwark St George Martyr 7 2.23x
St Marylebone London 7 0.84x
Westminster St 7 12.15x
Widdington 7 346.53x
Woodhouse 7 101.60x
Bobbing 6 238.10x
Copford 6 169.01x
Holy Trinity 6 1.61x
Rendlesham 6 317.46x
Sevenoaks 6 13.88x
Wakefield 6 5.05x
West Dereham 6 199.34x
Womersley 6 292.68x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 90
Elizabeth 60
Sarah 55
Eliza 33
Alice 29
Emily 25
Emma 25
Jane 24
Ellen 23
Annie 21
Louisa 18
Ann 17
Florence 17
Martha 17
Harriet 16
Ada 13
Caroline 13
Kate 12
Maria 11
Susan 11
Hannah 10
Charlotte 9
Harriett 9
Lucy 9
Edith 8
Margaret 7
Catherine 6
Frances 6
Rose 6
Amy 5
Clara 5
Elizth. 5
Ethel 5
Fanny 5
Jessie 5
Sophia 5
Agnes 4
Esther 4
Laura 4
Lydia 4
Minnie 4
Rebecca 4
Rhoda 4
Anna 3
Betsy 3
Eva 3
Lilian 3
Maud 3
Rosa 3
Sara 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 92
William 86
George 71
Thomas 46
Charles 45
James 43
Henry 36
Frederick 30
Arthur 28
Joseph 21
Edward 20
Harry 20
Robert 20
Samuel 15
Alfred 12
Walter 12
Albert 8
Wm. 8
Frank 7
Ernest 6
Herbert 6
Peter 6
Stephen 6
Jabez 5
Benjamin 4
Edwin 4
Geo. 4
Horace 4
Richard 4
Thos. 4
Daniel 3
David 3
Elijah 3
Elisha 3
Fredk. 3
Job 3
Mark 3
Percy 3
Chas. 2
Edmund 2
Francis 2
Frederic 2
Hugh 2
Jeremiah 2
Pierce 2
Ralph 2
Steven 2
Sydney 2
Tom 2
Trayton 2

FAQ

Pettitt surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pettitt surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,610 people were recorded with the Pettitt surname. That placed it at #2,654 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pettitt surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,020 in 2016. That gives Pettitt a modern rank of #2,228.

What does the Pettitt surname mean?

A surname derived from the diminutive of the given name Peter.

What does the Pettitt map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Pettitt 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.