| Pronunciation | PeH-teHr-seHn |
|---|---|
| Meaning | “son of Peter” |
| Region | Scandinavia: Denmark, Norway, Sweden; Northern Germany: Former old Danish territories. |
| Origin | Nordic |
| Variant | Peterson Pettersen Pedersen |
Petersen is a common Danish patronymic surname, meaning "son of Peter". There are other spellings. Petersen may refer to:
People
In arts and entertainment
- Adolf Dahm-Petersen, Norwegian voice specialist
- Anja Petersen, German operatic soprano and university lecturer
- Anker Eli Petersen, Faroese writer and artist
- Ann Petersen, Belgian actress
- Arona Petersen, (1908-1995), author, chef and businesswoman from the Virgin Islands
- Christina Petersen (born 1974), German actress
- Devon Petersen (born 1986), South African darts player
- Elmer Petersen, American artist
- Eugen Petersen (1836-1919), German classical archaeologist and philologist
- Gustaf Munch-Petersen, Danish writer and painter
- Joel Petersen, bass guitarist
- John Hahn-Petersen, Danish actor
- Josef Petersen, Danish novelist
- Patrick Petersen, American actor
- Paul Petersen, American movie actor, singer, novelist, and activist
- Robert E. Petersen, publisher, auto museum founder
- Robert Storm Petersen, Danish cartoonist, writer, animator, illustrator, painter and humorist
- Sandy Petersen, American game designer
- Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, German musician
- William Petersen, American actor
- Wolfgang Petersen (1941–2022), German film director
In government and politics
- Alicia O'Shea Petersen, Australian activist
- Alfonso Petersen, Mayor of Guadalajara, Mexico
- Andrew Petersen, member of the United States House of Representatives
- Carl Wilhelm Petersen (1868–1933), German politician and first mayor of Hamburg
- Chap (John Chapman) Petersen, American, Virginia politician
- Cynthia Petersen, Canadian judge
- Elsebeth Kock-Petersen, Danish politician
- Ewa Hedkvist Petersen, Swedish politician
- Flo Bjelke-Petersen, Australian politician and writer
- George Petersen, Australian politician
- Hans Christian Petersen, Norwegian politician
- Harald Petersen, Danish politician
- Hjalmar Petersen, American politician
- Jan Petersen (politician), Norwegian diplomat and politician
- Jasmine Petersen, South African politician
- Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Australian politician
- Kim E. Petersen, (born 1956) American security and counter-terrorism expert
- Marita Petersen, Faroese politician
- Matthew S. Petersen, U.S. Federal Election Commission member
- Niels Helveg Petersen, Danish politician
- Olga Petersen (born 1982), German politician
- P. Walter Petersen, American politician
- Søren Jessen-Petersen, Danish United Nations official
In music
- Petersen Zagaze Zambian singer and songwriter.
In military
- Danny J. Petersen, American Medal of Honor recipient
- Forrest S. Petersen, United States Navy admiral and aviator
- Frank E. Petersen, retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general
- Sigmund R. Petersen, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps) rear admiral and fourth Director of the NOAA Corps
In religion
- Johann Wilhelm Petersen, German theologian, mystic, and Millennialist.
- Johanna Eleonora Petersen, German theologian, exponent of Radical Pietism
- Mark E. Petersen, member of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)
- Ole Peter Petersen, founder of Methodism in Norway
- Sofie Petersen (born 1955), Lutheran bishop in Greenland
In sport
- Alviro Petersen, South African cricketer
- Cal Petersen (born 1994), professional ice hockey goaltender
- Chris Petersen (born 1964), American football coach
- Ike Petersen, American football player
- Johannes Petersen, Danish chess master
- Kenneth Emil Petersen (born 1985), Danish footballer
- Lou Petersen, New Zealand dual-code rugby international
- Matthew Petersen, Australian rugby player
- Michael Petersen (baseball) (born 1994), American baseball player
- Morten Petersen, Danish football player
- Nils Petersen, German football player
- Sara Petersen (badminton), New Zealand badminton player
- Sara Petersen (hurdler), Danish 400 metres hurdler
- Ted Petersen, football player
- Thyge Petersen, Danish boxer
In other fields
- Anders Petersen (disambiguation)
- Carl Petersen (disambiguation)
- Grant Petersen, American bicycle company owner
- Jack Petersen (disambiguation)
- Johan Carl Christian Petersen, Danish seaman, interpreter, and Arctic explorer
- Johanne Christine Petersen, Danish educator
- Julius Petersen, Danish mathematician
- Julius Petersen, Literary scholar and university professor
- Rodney L. Petersen, American scholar of history, ethics, and religious conflict
- Ron Petersen (born 1934), American mycologist with the standard author abbreviation "R.H.Petersen"
- Sophie Petersen (1885–1965), Danish geographer
Other uses
- Petersen (film), a 1974 Australian drama film
- Petersen Automotive Museum
- Petersen Bay, Greenland
- Petersen graph, famous for its special properties in graph theory
- Petersen family, a particular family of seven graphs transformable to each other via Δ–Y or Y–Δ transforms