Show ContentsPetty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Petty family lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Petty was a name given to a small person. The surname Petty originally derived from the Old French word Petit which referred to small or tiny. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character.

Early Origins of the Petty family

The surname Petty was first found in Warwickshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times as Lords of the Manor of Ilmington conjecturally descended from the land holder recorded in the Domesday Book survey taken in 1086 A.D., as being held by Alric the pre-conquest holder from Robert of Stafford.

Early History of the Petty family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Petty research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1124, 1296, 1382, 1395, 1548, 1566, 1567, 1583, 1589, 1621, 1623, 1628, 1629, 1639, 1660, 1661 and 1687 are included under the topic Early Petty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Petty Spelling Variations

Petty has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Petty have been found, including Pettey, Petty, Pettie, Pety, Petie and others.

Early Notables of the Petty family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Maximilian Petty (c 1583-1639), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1628 to 1629; Edmund Petty (c. 1621-1661), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House o...

Petty Ranking

In the United States, the name Petty is the 814th most popular surname with an estimated 37,305 people with that name. [1]

Ireland Migration of the Petty family to Ireland

Some of the Petty family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Petty migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Pettys to arrive on North American shores:

Petty Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Petty, who settled in West New Jersey in 1664
  • Lawrence Petty, who landed in Virginia in 1664 [2]
  • Elizabeth Petty, who settled in Delaware Bay in 1679
  • Sir William Petty, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1682
  • Elizabeth Petty, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1686 [2]
Petty Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Petty, who arrived in New Jersey in 1704 [2]
  • Chr Petty, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 [2]
  • John Petty, who settled in Grenada in 1774
Petty Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • George Petty, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1835 [2]
  • Robert Petty, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1835 [2]
  • Thomas K Petty, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1868 [2]

Canada Petty migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Petty Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Jane Petty, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • John Petty, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Mrs. Margery Petty U.E. (née Foster) who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 [3]
Petty Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Mr. George Petty, Cornish printer, from Redruth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Cedric" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th February 1904 en route to Canada [4]

Australia Petty migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Petty Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
  • Mr. James Petty, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [5]
Petty Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Petty, British Convict who was convicted in Cawood (Liberty of Cawood, Wistow and Otley), Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [6]
  • William Petty, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on April 1st, 1822, settling in New South Wales, Australia [7]
  • Mr. William Petty, (Wood), English convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [8]
  • Mr. William Petty, English convict who was convicted in Dorset, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Canton" on 20th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [9]
  • Miss Caroline Petty, (b. 1822), aged 24, English convict who was convicted in Bath, Somerset, England for 10 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 14th September 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [10]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Petty migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Petty Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • W. Petty, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1871
  • J. Petty, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1871
  • H. Petty, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1871
  • C. Petty, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1871
  • Emma Petty, aged 25, a maid, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Queen" in 1883 [11]

West Indies Petty migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [12]
Petty Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • William Petty, who settled in Barbados in 1660

Contemporary Notables of the name Petty (post 1700) +

  • Maurice Petty (1939-2020), American NASCAR crew chief and engine builder for Petty Enterprises, inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2011
  • Robert "Bob" Petty (1940-2020), American television reporter and news anchor, inducted into the Hall of Fame at ASU's Cronkite School of Journalism in 2007
  • Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty (1950-2017), American rock musician and songwriter, founder of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the Traveling Wilburys, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001
  • Kyle Eugene Petty (b. 1960), retired American NASCAR driver
  • Lieutenant Orlando Henderson Petty (1874-1932), American physician and naval officer awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War I
  • Norman Petty (1927-1984), American musician, songwriter, and pioneer record producer
  • Richard Petty (b. 1937), former NASCAR racer and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
  • Lori Petty (b. 1963), American film and television actress
  • Bruce Leslie Petty (1929-2023), Australian political satirist and cartoonist and director, a regular contributor to Melbourne's The Age newspaper, The New Yorker, Esquire and Punch, winner of Australian Directors Guild Award in 2008
  • Mr. William Petty, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1657 to 1658
  • ... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Hood
  • Mr. Edmund J Petty (b. 1902), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Southampton, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking [13]
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Edwin Henry Petty (d. 1912), aged 25, English Bedroom Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking and was recovered by CS Mackay-Bennett [14]


Suggested Readings for the name Petty +

  • The Petty-Pettis Genealogy: Descendants of John Petty of Springfield, Massachusetts, 1668 by Robert Joseph Curfman.
  • Petty: A Genealogy Record and Short History of the Descendants of John Petty and Loveday Kent Petty by George Bell.
  • Petty, of England & Virginia by Gerald McKinney Petty.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  4. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
  7. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1822
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canton
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  13. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  14. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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