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Peters Family History

Peters Surname Meaning

English, Scottish, Dutch, and North German: patronymic from the personal name Peter. This surname (mainly of German origin) is also found in Sweden, Denmark, France (Alsace and Lorraine), and some other European countries.

In North America, it has absorbed various cognates and their derivatives from other languages, such as Albanian Pjetraj and Pjetrushi, patronymics from the personal name Pjetër ‘Peter’ and its pet form Pjetrush; see also below and also examples at Peterson.

Irish: Anglicized form (translation) of Gaelic Mac Pheadair ‘son of Peter’. Americanized form of Dutch and North German Pieters.

Americanized form of French Pitre.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Peters family from?

You can see how Peters families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Peters family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Peters families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 169 Peters families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 17% of all the recorded Peters's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Peters families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Peters surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Peters ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Peters. 14% of Peters men worked as a Farmer and 7% of Peters women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Peters were Truck Driver and Maid.

View Census Data for Peters | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    14%
  • Laborer
    13%
  • Salesman
    5%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    7%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Stenographer
    6%
  • Maid
    6%

What Peters family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 868,000 census records available for the last name Peters. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Peters census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Peters

Passenger Lists

There are 128,000 immigration records available for the last name Peters. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Peters immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 147,000 military records available for the last name Peters. For the veterans among your Peters ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Peters military records

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