Petrie
A Scottish surname that began as a diminutive form of Peter.
The #4,159 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 36,238 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Petrie is ultimately from Peter, via several medieval diminutive and form-variant pathways. The name can reflect French Petre or Petri from Latin Petrus, or a Scots diminutive of Peter; some sources also connect it with Breton Petrig, a diminutive of Petr. In plain terms, it means something like “little Peter” or “descendant of Peter.”
History
The name is especially associated with Scotland, where it appears as a Scottish diminutive surname. Nineteenth-century surname writers also noted related forms such as Petre, Petry, and Petrick in Britain and on the Continent. It has remained a relatively uncommon surname, with bearers concentrated in Scotland and in diaspora communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One historical source explicitly treats Petrie as a diminutive form of Peter rather than a separate root name.
From the historical record
“PETRE, a M.E. and Fr. form of Peter, q.v. PETRIE I the French Pe>^ = {a) the genit., Petri, of Lat. Petrus : v. Peter. (J) for the Breton Petrig, a dim. oi Petr: v. Peter [Bret. dim. suff. -ig\ 2 a Scot. dim. of Peter (q.v.) [N.E. and Scot. dim. suff. -j>] PETT (Eng.) Bel. to Pett (Sussex), a M.E.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)