PETERSEN
Petersen is a surname that traces its roots to both Greek and Scandinavian heritage.
The name derives from the male given name Peter, which itself originates from the Greek Petros meaning rock or stone. The Danish and Norwegian suffix ‑sen denotes son of, so the literal meaning of Petersen is son of Peter. This patronymic construction is characteristic of surnames in Denmark and Norway, and the surname remains common throughout Scandinavia.
While Scandinavia is the principal area of use, the surname is also found in north‑western European countries, including Denmark, Holland, Germany, the city of Brussels in Belgium, and Finland. Records in London church registers show instances of the name from the early eighteenth century, for example the christening of Frederick Beltezer, son of Otho and Catharine Petersen, on 9 April 1706 in St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster; the marriage of Joachim Petersen to Elizabeth Spofford in St. Dunstans, Eastminister, on 12 August 1712; and the christening of Adolph Frederick Petersen in St. Botolph without Aldgate on 1 September 1872.
Heraldic records in Rietstap’s Armorial General include coats of arms granted to Petersen families in Greiffenberg, Prussia; Hesse; and Finland. One of the shields features the upper body of a stag leaping from the centre of a blue field, with a silver cross moline as the base. According to the same source, the earliest recorded spelling of the family name dates to approximately 1680 in Prussia, during the reign of Emperor Leopold I (1658‑1705).
These documented facts provide a clear, verifiable basis for understanding the distribution, etymology and heraldic traditions associated with the surname Petersen, without resorting to speculation or conjecture.
Typical given names associated with the Petersen surname
Male
- Andrew
- Carl
- Christian
- David
- Hans
- John
- Martin
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Thomas
Female
- Alison
- Anne
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Janet
- Joanna
- Karen
- Lisa
- Lorraine
- Michelle
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Paterson
- Patersen
- Peterse
- Patersn
- Pattarson
- Pattersen
- Patterson
- Pattersson
- Pattirson
- Peaterson
- Pedersen
- Pederson
- Peeterson
- Peitersen
- Peterken
- Peterside
- Petersohn
- Peterson
- Petersone
- Petersons
- Peterssen
- Petersson
- Peterston
- Pettersen
- Petterson
- Petterssen
- Pettersson
- Petursson
- Pieterse
- Pietersen
- Pieterson
- Pietersz
- Patherson
- Peaters
- Pedersson
- Peters
- Petersfield
- Petters
- Pitterson
- Potterson
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Petersen in...
Braille
⠏⠑⠞⠑⠗⠎⠑⠝
Morse
.--..-..-.....-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,854 people named Petersen in the UK. That makes it roughly the 4,478th most common surname in Britain. Around 28 in a million people in Britain are named Petersen.
Origin: Scandinavian
Region of origin: Europe
Country of origin: Denmark
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Danish
Famous people named Petersen
- Kim Bendix Petersen - Danish heavy metal musician
- Nick Petersen - Canadian ice hockey player
- Dave Petersen - Rugby league player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.