Perterson Surname History

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The chronicle of the name Perterson begins with a family in the Pictish clans of ancient Scotland. The name is derived from the personal name Peter. Perterson is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. This particular surname was taken from the popular religious given name, Peter a shortened form of St. Peter. Other patronymic names were derived from the given name of an ancestor of the bearer, while still others came from the names of secular heroes.

Early Origins of the Perterson family

The surname Perterson was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland. One of the first records of the family was found here: "Nigellus filius Petri, one of the burgenses rure manentes, Aberdeen, 1317." 1 The native home of the Clan Pheadirean (Patersons) was on the north side of Lochfyne where they were formerly numerous. The name is closely related to Paterson and the two spellings and many more have been used interchangeably over the years. By example, Donald Patyrson was admitted burgess of Aberdeen in 1494 and William Patrison and John Patonson, 'gentillmen,' were witnesses in Aberdeen in 1446. 1

Early History of the Perterson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Perterson research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1317, 1327, 1377, 1378, 1411 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Perterson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Perterson Spelling Variations

When the first dictionaries were invented in the last few hundred years, spelling gradually became standardized. Before that time, scribes spelled according to sound. Names were often recorded under different spelling variations every time they were written. Perterson has been written Peterson, Petersone, Petterson, Piterson and others.

Early Notables of the Perterson family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Gerlac Peterssen (Petersen, Peterson, Gerlacus Petri) (1377 or 1378-1411), a Dutch mystic, entered the Institution of the Brethren of Common Life, and devoted his time...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Perterson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Perterson family to Ireland

Some of the Perterson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Perterson migration to the United States +

The crossing to North America did not seem so great in comparison with the hardships many Scots endured at home. It was long, expensive, and cramped, but also rewarding. North America offered land and the chance for settlers to prove themselves in a new place. And many did prove themselves as they fought to forge a new nation in the American War of Independence. The ancestors of those Scots can now experience much of their once-lost heritage through the Clan societies and highland games that have sprung up across North America in the last century. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Perterson:

Perterson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Sanders Perterson, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 2

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)