How common is the surname Peters?

137,513 people in the United States had the surname Peters in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,245 Americans. It ranked 205th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Peters?

Evan Peters, American actor (born 1987), followed by Bernadette Peters.

Where is the surname Peters most common?

Wikidata records people named Peters in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.

Is the surname Peters getting more or less common?

More common. 134,231 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 137,513 in 2010, up 2.4%.

Is Peters also a first name?

Yes. Peters is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Peters

A patronymic surname, carried by 137,513 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex P362

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Peters is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

An English surname originating as a patronymic derived from the given name Peter.

Peters is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 137,513 people named Peters in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,245 Americans. That is up 2.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 134,231.

#205

rank among US surnames

137,513

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+2.4%

change since 2000 (was #190)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#196	Grant	142,277	2,170
#197	Dunn	141,427	2,183
#198	Kelley	140,693	2,194
#199	Spencer	139,951	2,206
#200	Hawkins	139,751	2,209
#201	Arnold	138,893	2,223
#202	Pierce	138,629	2,227

Who is named Peters

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

83% of people named Peters identified as white (not Hispanic), 10% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 83%
Black (not Hispanic) 10%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
Two or more races 1.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.3%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.0%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Peterss

36 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Evan Peters
American actor (born 1987)
Bernadette Peters
American actress and singer (born 1948)
Susan Peters
American actress (1921–1952)
Jean Peters
American actress (1926–2000)
Gary Peters
American politician and naval officer (born 1958)
Clarke Peters
American actor, singer, writer and director, born 1952
Brock Peters
American actor (1927–2005)
Roberta Peters
American operatic soprano (1930-2017)
Thomas J. Peters
American writer on business management practices, born 1942
Molly Peters
British actress and model (1942-2017)
George Henry Peters
American astronomer and photographer (1863–1947)
Violetta Oblinger-Peters
Austrian canoeist, born 1977

Notable Peterss come mostly from the United States (29), Germany (2) and the United Kingdom (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Peters

Peters has the Soundex code P362, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code P362.

Questions

How common is the surname Peters?: 137,513 people in the United States had the surname Peters in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,245 Americans. It ranked 205th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Peters?: In the 2010 Census, 83% of people named Peters identified as white (not Hispanic), and 10% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Peters?: Evan Peters, American actor (born 1987), followed by Bernadette Peters.
Where is the surname Peters most common?: Wikidata records people named Peters in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.
What type of surname is Peters?: Peters is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Peters getting more or less common?: More common. 134,231 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 137,513 in 2010, up 2.4%.
Is Peters also a first name?: Yes. Peters is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.