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Peter Family History

Peter Surname Meaning

English, Scottish, German, Dutch, French (Alsace and Lorraine), Czech (Moravian), Slovak, Croatian, and Slovenian; Hungarian (Péter): from the personal name Peter (Greek Petros from petra ‘rock’). The personal name was popular throughout Christian Europe in the Middle Ages having been bestowed by Christ as a byname on the apostle Simon bar Jonah, the brother of Andrew.

The name was chosen by Christ for its symbolic significance (John 42, Matt. 118); Saint Peter is regarded as the founding head of the Christian Church in view of Christ's saying ‘Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church’. In Christian Germany in the early Middle Ages, this was the most frequent personal name of non-ancient Germanic origin until the 14th century.

In North America, this surname has also absorbed cognates from other languages, for example Czech Petr, Polish Piotr and Pietr, Albanian Pjetri (from the personal name Pjetër, definite form Pjetri) and also their derivatives (see examples at Peterson).

It has also been adopted as a surname by Ashkenazic Jews.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Peter family from?

You can see how Peter families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Peter family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Peter families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 276 Peter families living in London. This was about 27% of all the recorded Peter's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Peter families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Peter surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Peter ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Solicitor and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Peter. 13% of Peter men worked as a Solicitor and 78% of Peter women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Peter were Office Manager and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Peter | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • Solicitor
    13%
  • Motor Driver
    8%
  • Incapacitated
    8%
  • Office Manager
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    78%
  • Private Means
    5%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    4%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

What Peter family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 155,000 census records available for the last name Peter. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Peter census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Peter

Passenger Lists

There are 57,000 immigration records available for the last name Peter. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Peter immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 33,000 military records available for the last name Peter. For the veterans among your Peter ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Peter military records

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