The Peters surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 137,513 people carried this name — #205 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,150 people counted. That is up 2% from 134,231 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Peters surname
An English surname originating as a patronymic derived from the given name Peter.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Peters» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 3,138 people named Peters live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Limburg.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 769 people named Peters live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 736 people named Peters.
213 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 54 départements, most often Moselle.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
679 people named Peters live in Switzerland.
They live in 21 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 12 births for the Peters name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Tipperary.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Poland’s population register
324 people named Peters have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 669 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 15 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Greater Poland.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
778 people named Peters are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Peters in American newspapers,
1871–1923.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,174,070 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Peters,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Johann Anton de Peters 1725–1795 · music publisher -
Thomas Peters 1745–1857 -
Christian August Friedrich Peters 1806–1880 · astronomer -
Friedrich Peters 1812– · jurist -
Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters 1813–1890 · astronomer
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 149 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Peters.
- Pestana 1,418 · U.S. census
- Pestel 178 · U.S. census
- Pete 4,619 · U.S. census
- Petel 143 · U.S. census
- Peter 9,191 · U.S. census
- Petermann 1,025 · U.S. census
- Petersen 58,480 · U.S. census
- Petesch 216 · U.S. census
- Petet 179 · U.S. census
- Petion 663 · U.S. census
- Petit 6,090 · U.S. census
- Petite 904 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Peters is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.