Peters is a patronymic surname (Peter's son) of Low German, Dutch, and English origin. It can also be an English translation of Gaelic Mac Pheadair (same meaning) or an Americanized form of cognate surnames like Peeters or Pieters.Peters Name Meaning at ancestry.com, sourced from Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
Geographical distribution As of 2014, 34.4% of all known bearers of the surname Peters were residents of the United States (frequency 1:2,037), 23.6% of Germany (1:658), 6.4% of the Netherlands (1:511), 5.4% of Canada (1:1,328), 5.2% of Nigeria (1:6,574), 4.8% of England (1:2,261), 3.9% of South Africa (1:2,708), 3.1% of Australia (1:1,482), 1.2% of Togo (1:1,226), 1.1% of Sierra Leone (1:1,214) and 1.0% of Belgium (1:2,220).
In Germany, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:658) in the following states:Peters surname distribution Schleswig-Holstein (1:209) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (1:220) Hamburg (1:293) Lower Saxony (1:364) North Rhine-Westphalia (1:402) Bremen (1:471)
In the Netherlands, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:511) in the following provinces: Gelderland (1:198) Limburg (1:215) Bonaire (1:322) North Brabant (1:433)
People Academics Achim Peters (born 1957), German obesity specialist Anne Peters (born 1964), German-Swiss legal scholar Arno Peters (1916–2002), German filmmaker & historian. Peters map projection. Bernard Peters (1910–1993), German nuclear physicist Brett Peters, American industrial engineer and college dean C. J. Peters (Clarence James Peters; born 1940), American virologist and tropical physician Christian August Friedrich Peters (1806–1880), German astronomer Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters (1813–1890), German-born American astronomer David Peters (professor), American physician and healthcare academic Dennis G. Peters (1937–2020), American analytical chemist Diane L. Peters, American mechanical engineer E. L. Peters (1916–1987), British social anthropologist Eduard Peters (1869–1948), German prehistorian Edward Peters (scholar) (born 1936), American historian of medieval Europe Evan Peters (born 1987), American actor Francis Edward Peters (1927–2020), American scholar on Middle Eastern religions Frank Peters (college president) (1920–1987), Canadian university president George Henry Peters (1863–1947), American astronomer James A. Peters (1922–1972), American herpetologist James L. Peters (1889–1952), American ornithologist Jan Peters (computer scientist) (born 1976), German computer scientist Jan Peters (engineer), British engineer Jan-Michael Peters (born 1962), German cell and molecular biologist John Durham Peters (born 1958), communications professor John F. Peters (1884–1969), American electrical engineer and inventor Kara Peters, American mechanical and aerospace engineer Keith Peters (physician) (born 1938), Welsh physician and academic Klaus Peters (1937–2014), German mathematician and publisher Kurt Peters (chemist) (1897–1978), Austrian chemist Mary Peters Fieser (1909–1997), née Mary Peters, American chemist Michael Peters (psychologist) (born 1942), Canadian psychologist Michael Adrian Peters (born 1948), New Zealand education academic Norbert Peters (engineer) (1942–2015), Austrian-German chemical engineer Norbert Peters (priest) (1863–1938), German Catholic biblical scholar Otto Peters (born 1926), German education academic Pam Peters (born 1942), Australian linguist Paul Peters (publisher) (born 1982), American academic publisher Paul Evan Peters (1947–1996), American librarian Peter J. Peters (born 1957), Dutch cellular immunologist Raymond Peters (1918–1995), British polymer chemist Rebecca Todd Peters (born 1967), American feminist and Christian social ethicist Reinhard Peters (1926–2008), German operatic conductor, violinist and academic teacher Richard Stanley Peters (1919–2011), British philosopher Robert Henry Peters (1946–1996), Canadian ecologist and limnologist Rudolph Peters (1889–1982), British biochemist Rudolph F. Peters (1943–2022), Dutch scholar of Islam Steve Peters (psychiatrist) (born 1953), English sports psychiatrist Stormy Peters, American information technologist Thomas Minott Peters (1810–1888), American lawyer, Alabama Chief Justice, and botanist Tim Peters (software engineer), American software developer Vera Peters (1911–1993), Canadian oncologist and clinical investigator Wallace Peters (1924–2018), British entomologist and parasitologist Wilhelm Peters (1815–1883), German explorer and naturalist William John Peters (1863–1942), American explorer and geologist
Arts Musical Ben Peters (1933–2005), American country music songwriter Bernadette Peters (born 1948), American actress and singer Brian Peters (folk singer), English folk singer and multi-instrumentalist Carl Friedrich Peters (1779–1827), German music publisher Ciska Peters (born 1945), Dutch pop singer Clarence Peters (born 1980s), Nigerian music video director, filmmaker and cinematographer Claudette Peters (born 1979), Antiguan soca singer-songwriter Crispian St. Peters (1939–2010), English pop singer-songwriter Cyndee Peters (born 1946), American-Swedish gospel singer and author Dan Peters (born 1967), American rock drummer Dave Peters, American heavy metal musician Duane Peters (born 1961), skateboarder and punk singer/songwriter Edith Peters (1926–2000), American singer and film actress Eric Peters (musician) (born 1972), American musician Finn Peters, British flautist and saxophonist Gretchen Peters (born 1957), American country singer Grice Peters, English art rock musician Ingrid Peters (born 1954), German singer Ivana Peters (born 1974), Serbian pop rock musician JJ Peters (born 1982), Australian rock musician Jane Peters (born 1963), Australian classical violinist Jerry Peters (born 1940s), American funk and soul musician Johanna Peters (1932–2000), Scottish mezzo-soprano Jonathan Peters (born 1969), American DJ and record producer Lennie Peters (1931–1992), British singer from Peters and Lee Linda Peters (born 1947), English folk rock singer a.k.a. Linda Thompson Mark Peters (musician) (born 1975), English musician, songwriter and producer Mary Peters (hymn writer) (1813–1856), British hymn writer Maisie Peters (born 2000), English singer-songwriter Mike Peters (drummer), Canadian punk drummer Mike Peters (musician) (1959–2025), Welsh singer and songwriter of "The Alarm" Mitchell Peters (1935–2017), American percussionist and composer Moriah Peters (born 1992), American Christian singer and songwriter Nick Peters (born 1997), guitarist for Bears in Trees Norbert Walter Peters (born 1954), German composer Randolph Peters (born 1959), Canadian composer Red Peters (born 1950), American musician and comedian, pseudonym of Douglas Stevens Roberta Peters (1930–2017), American coloratura soprano Ryan Peters (musician), Canadian singer-songwriter Ryan Michael Peters (born 1985), American rapper known as "Spose" Scott Peters (musician), Canadian folk rock musician Shina Peters (born 1958), Nigerian musician Suresh Peters (born 1968), Indian music director and playback rapper/singer Vanessa Peters (born 1980), American folk rock singer-songwriter Wilfred Peters (1931–2010), Belizean accordionist and band leader The Peters Sisters – Mattie (1917–1983), Anne (1920–1965), and Virginia (1923–2010) – American vocal trio
Theatrical Anton Peters (1923–1989), Belgian actor and film director Arnold Peters (1925–2013), British actor Audrey Peters (1927–2019), American soap opera actress Bernadette Peters (born 1948), American actress and singer Brock Peters (1927–2005), American actor Caroline Peters (born 1971), German actress Cece Peters, Australian television actress Christel Peters (1916–2009), German stage and television actress Clarke Peters (born 1952), pseudonym of American actor Peter Clarke Dennis Alaba Peters (c. 1935 – 1996), Gambian actor Edith Peters (1926–2000), American singer and film actress Emma Peters (born 1978), Swedish actress Evan Peters (born 1987), American film actor Frederick Peters (actor) (1884–1963), American film actor Gordon Peters (1926–2022), British television actor House Peters Jr. (1916–2008), American character actor House Peters Sr. (1880–1967), British-born American silent film actor Ina Peters (1928–2004), Austrian stage and film actress Jane Alice Peters (1908–1942), American film actress with the stage name Carole Lombard Jean Peters (1926–2000), American actress Jon Peters (born 1945), American film producer Karl-Heinz Peters (1903–1990), German film actor Lauri Peters (born 1943), American actress Luan Peters (1946–2017), English actress and singer Lyn Peters (c. 1941 – 2013), Argentine-born British-American model, actress and caterer Maria Peters (born 1958), Dutch film director, producer and screenwriter Michael Peters (choreographer) (1948–1994), American choreographer Molly Peters (1942–2017), British actress Pauline Peters (1896–?), Welsh film actress Petra Peters (1925–2004), German stage and film actress Rick Peters (born 1967), American actor Robert O. Peters (born 1973), Nigerian film producer and director Russell Peters (born 1970), Canadian comedian Sabine Peters (1912–1982), German film actress Susan Peters (1921–1952), American actress Susan Peters (Nigerian actress) (born 1980), Nigerian film actress Vicki Peters (born 1950), American model and actress Wendi Peters (born 1968), English stage and television actress Werner Peters (1918–1971), German film actor William Theodore Peters (1862–1904), American poet and actor Willy Peters (1915–1976), Swedish film actor and director
Visual Alan Peters (1933–2009), British furniture maker Anna Peters (painter) (1843–1926), German flower and landscape painter, daughter of Pieter Francis Peters Christa Peters (1933–1981), German fashion photographer Clarissa Peters Russell (1809–1854), American miniaturist Curtis Arnoux Peters, Jr. (1904–1968), American cartoonist known as "Curtis Arno" Eric Peters (painter) (born 1952), German painter Eugène Peters (born 1946), Dutch painter, graphic artist and sculptor Frazier Forman Peters (1895–1963), American builder and architect Fred Peters (artist) (1923–2018), American animator and comics artist Giovanni Peters (1624–1677), Italianate name of Flemish painter Jan Peeters Greg Peters (1962–2013), American editorial cartoonist Hans Peters (1894–1976), English art director Ivo Peters (1915–1989), English photographer of steam railways Joe Peters (born 1983), American glass artist Johann Anton de Peters (1725–1795), German painter and etcher Lilo Peters (1913–2001), North German painter and sculptor Michael Peters (designer) (born 1930s), British graphic designer Mike Peters (cartoonist) (born 1943), American cartoonist Nelle Peters (1884–1974), American architect Pieter Francis Peters (1818–1903), Dutch-born German landscape painter and art dealer Pietronella Peters (1848–1924), German portrait and genre painter, daughter of Pieter F. Peters Robert L. Peters (1954–2023), Canadian graphics designer and industrial designer Sara Peters Grozelier (1821–1907), American miniaturist Shani Peters, American artist Wilhelm Peters (1851–1935), Norwegian painter William Peters (painter) (1742–1814), British painter William Wesley Peters (1912–1991), American architect
Business Benedict Peters (born 1966), Nigerian billionaire Bob Peters (born 1942), Australian businessman and horse breeder Edward C. Peters (1855–1937), American real estate developer in Atlanta, son of Richard Peters (Atlanta) George Peters (banker), Governor of the Bank of England, 1785–1787 Hans-Walter Peters (born 1955), German banker Henry Peters (c. 1763 – 1827), British banker and Member of Parliament Leone J. Peters (1911–1988), American businessman and racehorse breeder Lovett Peters (1913–2010), American oil and gas entrepreneur known for the Peters Foundation