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Petrow Family History

Petrow Surname Meaning

Americanized or Germanized form of Russian Bulgarian Slovak etc. Petrov. In North America this surname may also be a shortened (and altered) form of any of various surnames beginning with Petrow- or Petrov- e.g. Petrowski.

Compare Petroff. Polish (also Petrów): variant of Pietrów Pietrow a patronymic from the personal name Pietr (see Pietrowski).

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Petrow family from?

You can see how Petrow families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Petrow family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1840 and 1920. The most Petrow families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 4 Petrow families living in Lancashire. This was about 67% of all the recorded Petrow's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Petrow families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Petrow 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 Petrow ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Clerk were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Petrow. 28% of Petrow men worked as a Laborer and 100% of Petrow women worked as a Clerk.

View Census Data for Petrow | 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%
  • Mechanic
    14%
  • Proprietor
    11%
  • Machinist
    11%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Clerk
    100%

What Petrow family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Petrow. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Petrow census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Petrow

Passenger Lists

There are 999 immigration records available for the last name Petrow. 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 Petrow immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 520 military records available for the last name Petrow. For the veterans among your Petrow ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Petrow military records

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