Find out how popular the last name Peters is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Peters.

Peters, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Peters surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Peters in America

Peters is the 205th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Peters surname appeared 137,513 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 47 people would have the surname Peters.

We can also compare 2010 data for Peters to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Peters

The surname Peters is of German origin, derived from the personal name Peter, which ultimately stems from the Greek word "petros" meaning "rock" or "stone". This surname first emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century.

The earliest recorded instances of the Peters surname can be traced back to various regions of Germany, particularly in areas such as Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. It was initially used as a patronymic surname, indicating that the bearer was the son of someone named Peter.

One of the earliest known references to the Peters surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, where a certain "Henricus Peters" was mentioned in a record dated 1292.

In England, the Peters surname is believed to have been introduced by German immigrants during the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable early bearer of this name was John Peters (c. 1594-1660), an English colonist and founder of the town of Andover, Massachusetts.

Another significant figure associated with the Peters surname was Hugh Peters (1598-1660), an English preacher and political figure who played a prominent role in the English Civil War and the trial of King Charles I.

In the realm of arts and literature, the name Peters is linked to Diane Peters (1938-2017), an American novelist and short story writer known for her works exploring themes of identity and family relationships.

The Peters surname also has a connection to the field of science, with Hermann Peters (1847-1920), a German botanist and mycologist who made significant contributions to the study of fungi.

Additionally, the Peters name has been carried by individuals in various other fields, such as Johannes Peters (1885-1966), a German Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of Lünen during World War II.

While the Peters surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and other English-speaking countries, often through immigration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Peters

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Peters.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Peters was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Peters has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Peters was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Peters, please contact us.

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