Petersen
Petersen
130,000
Population
#11
Country Rank
0.0%
of Population
Danish Names
Culture
Origin & History
Patronymic surname meaning 'son of Peter', from the Greek Petros and Aramaic Kepha, meaning 'stone' or 'rock', the name given by Jesus to the Apostle Simon. Petersen and Pedersen are parallel forms of the same patronymic: Petersen reflects the Low German influence dominant in the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, while Pedersen is the native Danish form more common in Jutland and the islands. Approximately 130,000 Danes carry this surname.