Peter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
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England
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Etymology of Peter

What does the name Peter mean?

The earliest origins of the Peter surname lie with the name of an ancestor. The name is derived from the personal name Peter. This is derived from the Latin name Petrus, which in turn comes from the Greek name Petros. The word "petros" means "rock" or "stone." Peter was an extremely popular personal name in medieval Europe since it was the name conferred by Christ upon the apostle Simon bar Jonah. He became St. Peter and is regarded as the founding figure of the Christian Church.

Early Origins of the Peter family

The surname Peter was first found in Devon where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Peter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Peter research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1505, 1549, 1572, 1598, 1603, 1613, 1626, 1631, 1633, 1660, 1684, 1688, 1689, 1699, 1706 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Peter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peter Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Peters, Peter, Petre, Petry and others.

Early Notables of the Peter family

Prominent in the family at this time was

Hugh Peters (or Peter) (1598-1660), an English preacher in Essex

Peter World Ranking

In the United States, the name Peter is the 3,556^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Peter is ranked the 795^th most popular surname with an estimated 6,310 people with that name. 2 And in Australia, the name Peter is the 964^th popular surname with an estimated 4,113 people with that name. 3 South Africa ranks Peter as 378^th with 18,698 people. 4

Peter migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Peter Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Peter, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe"

Peter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Katrina Peter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1731 5
Casper Peter, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1731 5
Cathrina Peter, aged 32, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 5
Hendrick Peter, aged 26, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 5
Caspar Peter, who landed in Carolina in 1734 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Peter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charlotte Peter, who landed in America in 1816 5
William Peter, age 22, who settled in New York City in 1820
Christian Peter, aged 18, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1832 5
Abraham Peter, who arrived in Ohio in 1840 5
France Peter, aged 38, who arrived in Missouri in 1844 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Peter Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. John M. Peter, (b. 1886), aged 17, Cornish labourer travelling aboard the ship "Lucania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 14th February 1903 en route to Franklin, Iowa, USA 6
Miss Mary Cattall Peter, (b. 1877), aged 26, Cornish settler, from Falmouth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Cedric" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th April 1903 en route to the United States 6

Peter migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Peter Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Peter John U.E. who settled in Sissiboo, Nova Scotia c. 1784 listed on the Muster Roll for Gulliver's Hole, St. Mary's Bay and Sissiboo 7

Peter Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Thomas Peter, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Forth" in 1833

Peter migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Peter Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Peter, English convict who was convicted in Shropshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Edward Peter, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Indus" in 1839 9
William Peter, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Indus" in 1839 9
William George Peter, aged 31, a miner, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Thetis" 10

Peter migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Peter Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Peter, (b. 1837), aged 22, Scottish farm servant from Forfar travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1859 11
E. Peter, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship 'Merope' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 27th October 1870 12

Peter migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13

Peter Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Isack Peter, (b. 1614), aged 20, British settler travelling from London, UK arriving in St Christopher (St. Kitts) on 5th January 1634 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Peter (post 1700) +

Victor St. Peter, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maine, 1964 14
George St. Peter, American Republican politician, Elected Missouri State House of Representatives from Mercer County 1964 14
Francis X. St. Peter, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1920; Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1920 14
? Peter (1712-1785), known as Peter the Wild Boy, a protégé of George I; he was found in 1725 in the woods near Hamelin, and was observed 'walking on his hands and feet, climbing trees like a squirrel, and feeding on grass and moss'
Claude Peter (1947-2022), French basketball player who played as a point guard in 50 games for the French national team
William Peter (1788-1853), Cornish politician and poet, born at Harlyn, St. Merryn, Cornwall
David Peter (1765-1837), Welsh independent minister from Aberystwith
Werner Peter (b. 1950), former East German football player
Samuel Peter (b. 1980), Nigerian heavyweight boxer
Philipp Peter (b. 1969), Austrian racing car driver
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Peter family +

Bismarck

Karl Peter (1916-1941), German Bootsmaat who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 15
Bruno Peter (1920-1941), German Maschinengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 15

The Peter Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Sans Dieu rien
Motto Translation: Without God, nothing.

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) INDUS 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Indus.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) THETIS 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Thetis.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details