Meaning & History
Petrov is a common patronymic surname in Bulgarian and Russian, meaning "son of Peter." It derives from the given name Pyotr (Russian) or Petar (Bulgarian), both forms of Peter. The name Peter ultimately comes from Greek Πέτρος (Petros), meaning "stone," a translation of the Aramaic name Cephas. In the New Testament, Jesus gave the apostle Simon the name Cephas, rendered as Peter in Greek, signifying his role as the rock on which the church would be built (Matthew 16:18, John 1:42). Simon Peter became the foremost apostle and is considered the first pope.
Historical and cultural significance
The widespread veneration of Saint Peter led to the popularity of the name across the Christian world. In Russia and Bulgaria, the name took local forms (Pyotr, Petar) and later generated patronymic surnames like Petrov and its feminine counterpart Petrova. The surname is particularly common in Bulgaria and Russia, where patronymics are traditionally formed by adding -ov for sons and -ova for daughters. According to the 2010 United States Census, Petrov was the 14,113th most common surname in the U.S., with 2,129 bearers, the vast majority (95.63%) identifying as white.
Related names and variants
Petrov has several cognates in other Slavic languages. In Serbian, the equivalent is Petrović; in Croatian, Petrić; and in Macedonian, the feminine form Pandeva appears. Bulgarian variants include Pandev. In Armenian, the cognate surnames Bedrosian and Petrosyan derive from the equivalent given name Bedros or Petros.
- Meaning: son of Peter
- Origin: Bulgarian, Russian
- Type: Patronymic surname
- Usage regions: Bulgaria, Russia, and among Slavic diaspora
Related Names
Sources: Wiktionary — Petrov