A male name. (Latin Petrus, French Pierre, Italian Piero, Pietro, Spanish Pedro, German Peter, Du Pieter, Norw Peer, Russian Pyotr): Greek πέτρος ‘stone’, a translation of Aramaic Cephas, the name given by Jesus to Simon s. of Jonas. St Peter appealed to the imagination of the medieval Church more than any other of the apostles (there are 1,140 churches dedicated to him in England, more than twice as many as to St Michael, the next commonest); and his name was one of the commonest christian names in every country. It was introduced into England by the Normans and soon became a favourite. The usual form was the French Piers, which gave rise to numerous surnames such as Piers, Pierce, Pearce, Pears, Pearse, Pearson, Pierson; and Perrin, Perkin, Perkins, Parkin, Parkinson,Perrot, Perrott from various diminutive. Peters and Peterson are much less common, and are usually Welsh (Welsh surnames are of later origin than English), and in fact the form Peter is not found before the 15th C, the earliest example noted being Petur of Westcote mentioned in an English Register of Oseney Abbey, c. 1460 (E.E.T.S. 133-4) MS of 1460, and Petyr which is given as the English eqivalent of Petrus in Promptorium Parvulorum. From then onwards it gradually ousted the older form, though Pearse or Peares is still found in Elizabeth’s reign. Lyford 1655 says 'Pierce used For Peter formerly’. The Reformation struck a blow at the name which was so closely associated with the Papacy, and in the 17th and 18th C it was uncommon and regarded as rustic and old-fashioned. The sudden enormous popularity of the name in the present century is no doubt largely due to Barrie’s Peter Pan (1904).

Petrus Domesday Book 1086, Curia Regis Rolls 1186-1220, Hundred Rolls 1273. Petur English Register of Oseney Abbey, c. 1460 (E.E.T.S. 133-4) 1460. Petyr Promptorium Parvulorum c. 1440. Perote Exchequer Rolls 1306. Peres Yorks Poll Tax of West Riding of Yorkshire 1379 1379. Pers Cocke Lorelle’s Bote c. 1315. Piers 15th C Brut. Pears, Peirce Major Church Registers of St. Columb Major 1641.