Petersen surname meaning

Petersen is a Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, and North German patronymic meaning “son of Peter.” The ending -sen makes the relationship explicit in the same naming tradition seen in Pedersen, Pettersen, and other Scandinavian surnames. Peterson is a common English or Americanized comparison. Peter itself comes from the Christian personal name based on Greek Petros, but the surname does not claim that every Petersen descends from one historical Peter. The same formula could arise in many communities. Parent’s name is the clear catalog type, with high confidence in the patronymic structure.