Surname Petereit - Meaning and Origin

Petereit: What does the surname Petereit mean?

The last name Petereit is of German origin. It is derived from the name Peter, which is a biblical name, meaning "rock". This last name is most common in Germany, where it can be found in several records dating back to the 1700s.

Petereit is a patronymic surname, which means that it was created from the given name of an ancestor. The original bearer likely had the given name of Peter, which was then incorporated into the family name. This name is associated with German, Swiss, Dutch, and Danish immigrants who settled in the US.

In German, the name Petereit can also mean “the Mill,” which could be a reference to the profession of an ancestor or to the place from which they originated. It could also refer to a stream or demand for goods.

The name Petereit was likely given to a person who had a strong foundation, since Peter was a strong rock for Jesus. This name could indicate the sense of loyalty and commitment of the original bearer. As the family spread across the world, this name became a representation of family and pride.

Today, the name Petereit is still quite common in Germany and among people of German descent. It is often found in the US in states like California, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. In all these places, the name Petereit is a reminder of the original bearer's perseverance and faith.

Petereit: Where does the name Petereit come from?

The last name Petereit is a German surname that is mostly prevalent in the northern parts of Germany, particularly in Brandenburg, Berlin, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern where it is the 49th most common surname. It is likely tied to the Petereit family which originated in Flensburg around the 16th century. This family had holdings in areas of northern Germany which includes eastern Holstein on the border with Denmark, Saxony-Anhalt, Lower Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein.

Outside of Germany, the Petereit name is most commonly found in the United States where German immigration brought the first branches of the Petereit family around the 1800s. Most US-based Petereit families come from the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Illinois, as well as in North and South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa. The last name can be found less prevalently in other countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere.

Various branches of the Petereit family have lived in various parts of Germany and North America throughout the centuries, however there is no specific region or city where the name is found most prevalently today. Rather, the surname is still found in its traditional locations throughout northern Germany and North America due to centuries of immigration and geographical movement of the Petereit family.

Variations of the surname Petereit

The surname Petereit has several variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin, all of which have derived from the same pre-existing name. First, the name of Petereit has been spelled numerous ways throughout the centuries, such as Peterit, Pieterit, Pietereit, Pieterit, Petreit, Petræit, Petrite, Petriet, Petriyt, Petrijt, Petrich. Secondly, as is common with family names, numerous surnames of similar origin and stemming from the same roots have also surfaced throughout the years, these are commonly referred to as cognates; some of these cognates include Pedereit, Pedret, Pietaret, Petrett, Petraz, Pietersma, Pietersman.

The origins of the surname Petereit are considered to be German, with roots tracing back to the early 1600's. It is thought to have originated in the region of Bremen, Germany. It is believed that Petereit was a given name first and as such was later used as a surname which stuck within the family tree. The root of the name has been suggested to be Peter, a common Germanic personal name of the medieval era.

No matter what the specific variations may be, Petereit is a surname that has been consistently found in Germany for many years, and although the spelling has varied throughout the centuries, the root has stayed the same.

Famous people with the name Petereit

• John Petereit: a retired provincial politician from Alberta, Canada.
• Joseph Petereit: a South Carolina-born artist and modeler.
• Whitney Petereit: an American actress known for her work in films and television shows.
• Edwin Petereit: a German chess grandmaster.
• Johannes Petereit: a German sculptor and art educator.
• Mathis Petereit: a German former football player who played for FC Hansa Rostock and VfB Lübeck.
• Hans Petereit: a German historian and author of several books on German history.
• Jens Petereit: a German-born American physicist and astronomer
• Richard Petereit: a German musicologist and professor.
• David Petereit: an Australian amateur golfer and coach.

Other surnames

Petereith