The Peterson surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 278,297 people carried this name — #71 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 1,060 people counted. That is up 1% from 275,041 in 2000.

See Peterson on the map Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Peterson surname

A patrilineal surname transferred from the given name.

English, Scottish, and German surname, from Peter + -son. Found parallel in many other languages, such as Norwegian and Danish Pedersen, Pettersen, Polish Piotrowicz, Slovene Petrič, Petrovčič, Petrovič, Petric, Petrovic, etc. Also Americanized from Swedish Petersson, Pettersson.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Peterson» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Peter’.

An early record he cites: Henry fil. Pet’, Cambridgeshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls. Fil. is Latin for “son of”.

His entry covers Peter, Peters and Peterson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 599 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 204 people named Peterson 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 map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 113
City of Buenos Aires 60
Misiones 17
Corrientes 14

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Poland’s population register

86 people named Peterson have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 175 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 7 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Warmian-Masurian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Warmian-Masurian 18
Łódź 17
Masovian 17
Lesser Poland 12
Pomeranian 10
Lower Silesian 8
Lubusz 4

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 49 people named Peterson.

21 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Seine-Maritime.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 21
Seine-Maritime 10
Guadeloupe 8
Paris 6
French Guiana 2
Loire-Atlantique 1
Nord 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

35 people named Peterson live in Switzerland.

They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 20
Bern 6
Lucerne 5
Vaud 4

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 the Nordic population registers

1,988 people named Peterson 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

Sweden (2022) 1,941
Finland (2026) 47

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 Scotland’s registers today

Peterson was recorded 16 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1361st most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 19. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

104 families named Peterson, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 555 people lived in those households, 5.3 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New York 22
Virginia 15
North Carolina 14
Massachusetts 13
Pennsylvania 11
Rhode Island 8
South Carolina 7
Maine 4
New Hampshire 4
Maryland 3
Connecticut 2
Vermont 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 257 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Peterson in American newspapers,
1921–1922.

Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Peterson
Evening Star 1921-03-13
Newspaper page from The Indian Leader carrying the name Peterson
The Indian Leader 1922-10-13
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Peterson
Evening Star 1921-04-10

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 952,829 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Peterson in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.

89,158 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Peterson. The most, 17,349, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 30,197
New South Wales 21,599
Victoria 19,148
South Australia 8,023
Western Australia 5,964
Tasmania 3,302
ACT (Canberra) 619
Northern Territory 94

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Peterson.

Who carried it

People named Peterson,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Peterson d. 1578 · politician
  • Dawn Peterson d. 2010 · researcher
  • Russ Peterson d. 1996 · military officer
  • Ivar Peterson d. 1977 · editing staff
  • Keith Peterson d. 2007 · basketball player
  • James W. Peterson d. 1994 · writer

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Peterson,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States28,892 records

28,892 records of the Peterson name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 8,430
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 7,542
  • Other U.S. records 12,920
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Donald Lee Peterson

    Born 1949; from Fridley, Minnesota. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Alton L. Peterson

    Born 1919 in Minnesota. Enlisted 1944 at Fort Snelling; farmer from Scott County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Hebron Cemetery, Lake Crystal, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Johannes Peterson

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Rhaetia from Hamburg and Havre, aged 44; laborer. From Jusdel--, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 28,892 records for Peterson in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,690 records

2,690 records of the Peterson name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,464
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 476
  • Other Australian records 750
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Ernest Peterson

    Died 1924 in Public Hospital, Hobart, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1924.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Peter John Peterson

    Married 1881 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 36. Died 1928 in Tasmania, aged 83.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Peterson

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Mangles, arriving 1820; ticket of leave 1832. Native of London.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 2,690 records for Peterson in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Netherlands1,015 records

1,015 records of the Peterson name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 566
  • Dutch population registers 394
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 55
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Trijntje Peterson

    Married in 1937 in Leeuwarden; domestic servant. Died 1972 in Leeuwarden, aged 54.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Alida Wilhelmina Peterson

    Married in 1867 in Amsterdam; domestic servant. Died 1920 in Zeist, aged 83.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Abraham Johannes Peterson

    Married in 1846 in 's-Hertogenbosch; born 1799 in Amsterdam. Died 1853 in 's-Hertogenbosch.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,015 records for Peterson in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada828 records

828 records of the Peterson name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 328
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 169
  • Other Canadian records 331
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Gustav Peterson

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 23; buried at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jos Peterson

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Circassian, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; Scotch.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Annie Mae Peterson

    Buried in 1986 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 86.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 828 records for Peterson in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Germany117 records

117 records of the Peterson name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Fritz Peterson

    Born 1887; from Stettin. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 18 February 1919 (Infantry Regiment No. 49).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Emil Peterson

    From Eichede, Stormarn. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 23 June 1915 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 266).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Albert Peterson

    From Kiel. Reported taken prisoner in the Imperial Navy casualty list of 31 August 1915.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 117 records for Peterson in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

New Zealand68 records

68 records of the Peterson name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 44
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 16
  • Other New Zealand records 8
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Peterson

    Died 1938, aged 68; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Peterson

    Buried in 1876 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 23.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 68 records for Peterson in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France18 records

18 records of the Peterson name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jacques Emile Gabriel Peterson

    Born 1919 in Paris; died 2001 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Arlette Ellen Peterson

    Born 1904 in Paris; died 1992 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 18 records for Peterson in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

United Kingdom10 records

10 records of the Peterson name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 7
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 1
  • Other British records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jean Donaldson Peterson

    Died 1954, aged 87; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Neless Peterson

    Will proved in 1937; of Swansea.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 2 of 10 records for Peterson in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Peterson.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Peterson 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.

See the Peterson volume
Scroll to Top