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Petras Family History

Petras Surname Meaning

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. Americanized or Germanized form of Polish Pietras, and a very rare Polish variant of this surname.

Greek: occupational name for a quarryman from petra ‘stone, rock’ + the occupational suffix -as.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Petras family from?

You can see how Petras families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Petras family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1851 and 1920. The most Petras families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there was 1 Petras family living in London. This was 100% of all the recorded Petras's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Petras families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Petras surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Petras ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and New Worker were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Petras. 28% of Petras men worked as a Laborer and 19% of Petras women worked as a New Worker. Some less common occupations for Americans named Petras were Furrier and Bookkeeper.

View Census Data for Petras | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, England data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    28%
  • Farmer
    9%
  • Salesman
    6%
  • Furrier
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • New Worker
    19%
  • Maid
    11%
  • Housewife
    11%
  • Bookkeeper
    7%

What Petras family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 4,000 census records available for the last name Petras. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Petras census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Petras

Passenger Lists

There are 5,000 immigration records available for the last name Petras. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Petras immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Petras. For the veterans among your Petras ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Petras military records

You've only scratched the surface of Petras family history

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What is the average Petras lifespan?

Between 1948 and 2004, in the United States, Petras life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1948, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Petras in 1948 was 48, and 79 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Petras

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Petras ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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