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

Peterson, 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 Peterson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Peterson in America

Peterson is the 71st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Peterson surname appeared 278,297 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 94 people would have the surname Peterson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Peterson 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 Peterson

The surname Peterson has its origins in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden and Norway. It is a patronymic surname, meaning that it is derived from the given name of the father or an ancestor. In this case, Peterson is derived from the personal name Peter, which comes from the Greek word "petros," meaning "rock."

The earliest recorded instances of the Peterson surname date back to the 13th century in various regions of Scandinavia. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Petrus Petersson, a Swedish priest who lived in the late 13th century. Another early example is Jon Petersson, a Norwegian farmer mentioned in a land record from the year 1340.

As the surname spread across Scandinavia, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Pedersson, Pedersson, and Pederzen. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic variations within the region.

In the 16th century, the Peterson surname began to appear in records outside of Scandinavia, particularly in areas with strong trade links or settlements from Scandinavian countries. One notable example is Hans Peterson, a Danish explorer who accompanied the explorer John Davis on his voyage to the Arctic in 1585.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Peterson. Henrik Petersen (1568-1646) was a Danish astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. Another notable figure was Anna Petterson (1623-1688), a Swedish woman who was accused of witchcraft during the infamous Torsåker witch trials.

In the 19th century, the Peterson surname gained prominence in the United States due to the influx of Scandinavian immigrants. One notable American bearer of the name was Peter Peterson (1825-1899), a Danish-American businessman and politician who served as the 12th Governor of Utah Territory.

Another significant figure was Frederik Petersen (1839-1912), a Danish-American artist known for his landscape paintings depicting the American West. His works are held in notable collections, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Lastly, Gustav Petersen (1865-1939) was a Norwegian-American engineer and inventor who is credited with developing the first commercially successful gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle, the Petersen Hybrid, in the early 20th century.

These are just a few examples of the rich history and diverse individuals who have borne the surname Peterson throughout the centuries, reflecting its Scandinavian origins and its global spread over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Peterson

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

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 Peterson 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 Peterson 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 Peterson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!