Pettersen

Origine et histoire

Patronymic surname meaning 'son of Petter', the distinctively Norwegian form of Peter, from the Greek 'Petros' meaning 'rock' or 'stone'. Petter is the characteristically Norwegian spelling as opposed to the Danish Peder or Swedish Petter, though the latter is also used in Norway. The name derives ultimately from the apostle Simon Peter, whose prominence in the New Testament and the early Church made his name one of the most common masculine given names in Christendom. Pettersen is particularly concentrated in the eastern Norwegian counties of Viken and Innlandet.