History

As in other Scandanavian countries, surnames in Denmark tended to be confined to the nobility and the clergy. Generally, names were of patronymic origin deriving from a personal name. Surnames in Denmark were not adopted by the general population until the 19th century. In 1828 the Danish government ordered that children, at baptism, be given a "family" name along with a "first name". A second law (1860) made the family name hereditary. Because the Danes had too many of the same patronymics, another law was passed in 1904 to encourage a greater variety of surnames. In the case of the Danish surname Pedersen, and of its variants Peddersen and Petersen as this name is of patronymic origin we may assume that it is one of the early recorded Danish surnames.

In this instance, the surname Pedersen derives its origin from the personal name Peder which is an Old Norse form of the personal name Peter. The suffix "sen" indicates "son of". The personal name Peder/Peter is itself derived from the Latin "Petrus" derived from the Greek "Petros" meaning a "rock". In the Greek translation of the New Testament Simon Peter's name is given as Petros a direct translation of the Aramaic (the language spoken by Christ) Kephas meaning a "rock" and alluding to the command given by Jesus to Simon Peter "Thou art Peter (Kephas-Petros "rock") and upon this rock I will build m y Church". Peter was to become the Pope of the Church. As a surname one of the earliest records of the  name Peter is that of one Johan hern (Mr.) Peters son w ho was living in Godramstein in 1313. Dernher Petersen was living in Marburg in 1361.

Notable bearers of this name include Christian Pedirsen who made the first translation of the Bible into Danish in 1550. The arms below were granted to a family of this name in 1680.

BLAZON OF ARMS: Azure; a lion rampant or; on a sea argent surmounted by three mullets of the second.

CREST: Three ostrich plumes, argent; between two gules.

ORIGIN: DENMARK