Origine et histoire

Patronymic surname meaning 'son of Peder', the Danish form of Peter, from the Greek Petros and Aramaic Kepha, meaning 'stone' or 'rock'. Peder was a favoured name in the Danish church from the Christianisation of Scandinavia onward, honouring Saint Peter, the first among the Apostles. The name is widespread across all regions of Denmark and among Scandinavian emigrants in the United States, where it was sometimes anglicised to Peterson. Approximately 200,000 Danes carry this surname.