Peters
A very common patronymic surname meaning “son of Peter.”
The #205 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,245 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Peters is a patronymic surname formed from the personal name Peter, with the -s ending meaning “of Peter” or “Peter’s.” The given name Peter comes through Latin and Greek from the word for “rock” or “stone,” so the surname ultimately points back to that biblical name. In English records it often developed as a straightforward way to identify someone as Peter’s son.
History
This surname arose independently in several northern European languages, which is why similar forms appear across England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia. Historical surname dictionaries note it as a common descendant of the given name Peter and compare it with related forms such as Peterson and Petersen. In English usage it has been widespread for centuries and remains common in the United States and the UK.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers often treated Peters, Peterson, Petersen, and related names as part of the same large family of “Peter” surnames.
From the historical record
“Peter. PETERS, Peter's (Son) \ PETERSON, Peter's Son ( ^' *^^^^'^- PETERSEN, the Scand. form of Peterson, q.v. PETHER, a West. Eng. and Corn, form of Peter, q.v. PETHERICK = Pether (Peter), q.v. + the Corn. dini. sufi. -ik.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)