Pettis
A surname most likely from the same roots as Pettit and Pettey, ultimately meaning “small” or “little one.”
The #4,807 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 41,983 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Pettis is generally treated as a variant of Pettis/Pettit family names that come from Old French petit, meaning “small” or “little.” In English surname use, that kind of word often became a nickname for a small person, the younger of two people with the same name, or someone seen as slight in stature or rank. The spelling Pettis is one of several later forms alongside Pettit, Pettey, Petts, and related variants.
History
The historical excerpts point to Pettis as a spelling linked with Pettit/Petit rather than a separate independent surname. Such variants were especially common in England, where surname spellings were fluid for centuries and clerks often wrote names phonetically. The name later appears in English-speaking countries, including the United States, where it survives in modest numbers.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The medieval French word behind Pettis is the same one that gave English the adjective “petite.”
From the historical record
“177a. Married— John J akins and Mary Pettis : St. Geo. Han. Sq. L 223. 1806. — Robert Jeakins and Ehx. Wm- sail : ibid. ii. 352. London, 3, 1.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)