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Petersen Family History

Petersen Name Meaning

Danish Norwegian Dutch and North German: patronymic from the personal name Peter . Americanized form of Norwegian and Danish Pedersen or Pettersen . English: variant of Peterson .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Pettersen, Pedersen, Peterson, Ketelsen, Peters, Iversen, Pieters

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Petersen family from?

You can see how Petersen families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Petersen family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1841 and 1920. The most Petersen families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 70 Petersen families living in New Brunswick. This was about 34% of all the recorded Petersen's in Canada. New Brunswick had the highest population of Petersen families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Petersen surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Petersen ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Petersen. 45% of Petersen men worked as a Farmer. .

View Census Data for Petersen | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    45%
  • Laborer
    12%
  • Labourer
    10%
  • Fisherman
    10%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Petersen family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 216,000 census records available for the last name Petersen. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Petersen census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Petersen

Passenger Lists

There are 165,000 immigration records available for the last name Petersen. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Petersen immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 52,000 military records available for the last name Petersen. For the veterans among your Petersen ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Petersen military records

You've only scratched the surface of Petersen family history

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What is the average Petersen lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Petersen life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1947, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Petersen in 1940 was 43, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Petersen

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