Petelin families are Croats and they are mostly from Delnice area. In the past century, relatively most of Croatian residents bearing this family name were born in Rijeka and Osijek. In Cimiroti in Bosanian Posavina every ninth inhabitant had the family name Petelin.
Prevalence
About 70 people with faimily name Petelin live in Croatia today, in 30 households. There were 70 of them in the middle of the past century, and their number remains constant. They are located in 7 Croatian counties, in 11 cities and 7 other places, mostly in Lokve in Delnice area (20), Osijek (15), Kraljevica (<10), Rijeka (<10), and in Novigrad (<10).
Outside Croatia
Family name Petelin is present in 27 countries worldwide. "Petellin " is used by small number of people in the United States.
In the sources analysed in the project Acta Croatica so far, the name is mentioned few times, the first time 1906 in source Yearbook and Directory of Literary Society of St. Jerome 1906.