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Petrona

♀ Girl

Pronounced peh-TROH-nah /pɛˈtroʊ.nɑ/High

Meaning: Feminine of the Roman family name Petronius, associated with Greek petra, 'rock, stone' — Peter's extended familyMedium

In 30 seconds: Grandmother granite: Petrona carries the rock of Peter through the Roman Petronius clan into Spanish-American family Bibles. Colombia's most famous cook bore it for a century.

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Origin MediumSpanish, Latin

MeaningFeminine of the Roman family name Petronius, associated with Greek petra, 'rock, stone' — Peter's extended family

U.S. rank (2025)#4527 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births31 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year2024

Total births (all-time)≈ 409

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Petrona is a Spanish feminine from the Roman family name Petronius — antiquity's satirist Petronius among its bearers — long associated with Greek petra, 'rock', the same stone as Peter. Rural Spain and Spanish America wore it for centuries; Argentine and Colombian records are thick with great-grandmother Petronas.

Argentina's beloved TV cook Doña Petrona ruled mid-century kitchens, giving the name comfort-food warmth. Today it is deep-vintage rare — a name with flour on its hands.

Did you know? Petrona of Cartagena fame — Colombian culinary matriarch Petronila 'Petrona' figures aside, the British novel The Sound of Things Falling-era literature keeps the name in Latin American letters.

Overall data confidence 78%

Behind the Name — Petronius — clan etymology, association traditional

Variations

PetronilaPetraPetronia

Nicknames

PetiTona

Famous Bearers

★Petrona Carrizo de Gandulfo (1896–1992)
Argentina's 'Doña Petrona', the country's most famous television cook and cookbook author.

If you like Petrona…

Petra— the direct Greek 'rock' sister

Ramona— a fellow sturdy Spanish vintage classic

Deanna— a fellow Latin choice

Silvana— echoes that soft -na sound

Marlena— echoes that soft -na sound

Explore names like Petrona

By themelatin spanish vintage

By meaningRock / Stone

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Petrona mean?

Petrona is a feminine of Roman Petronius, associated with Greek petra, 'rock, stone'.

How do you pronounce Petrona?

It's said peh-TROH-nah /pɛˈtroʊ.nɑ/ — three syllables, stress on the second.

Is Petrona a boy or girl name?

Petrona is a girl's name.

How popular is Petrona?

Petrona is a deep-vintage rarity in the U.S. today.