The first name Peterson
A boy’s name.
Pronounced /ˈpitɚsən/ 3 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
English, Scottish, and German surname, from Peter + -son. Found parallel in many other languages, such as Norwegian and Danish Pedersen, Pettersen, Polish Piotrowicz, Slovene Petrič, Petrovčič, Petrovič, Petric, Petrovic, etc. Also Americanized from Swedish Petersson, Pettersson.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Peterson at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 9 boys born in the United States were named Peterson, the 8,745th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1989, when 28 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Peterson in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Famous people named Peterson
2 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Peterson ToscanoAmerican comedian, born 1965
- Peterson dos SantosBrazilian athletics competitor, born 1991
Questions
- What does the name Peterson mean?
- English, Scottish, and German surname, from Peter + -son. Found parallel in many other languages, such as Norwegian and Danish Pedersen, Pettersen, Polish Piotrowicz, Slovene Petrič, Petrovčič, Petrovič, Petric, Petrovic, etc. Also Americanized from Swedish Petersson, Pettersson.
- Is Peterson a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 819 US babies named Peterson since 1880 were boys.
- When was Peterson most popular?
- 1989 in the United States, when 28 babies were named Peterson, its highest rank at 2,397th.
- How do you pronounce Peterson?
- Peterson is /ˈpitɚsən/, 3 syllables.
- Is Peterson also a surname?
- Yes. Peterson is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.