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Updated June 9, 2019

Family name origins & meanings

  • Americanized spelling of Swedish Persson.
  • German : patronymic from Peer, Low German variant of Peter.
  • French (mainly northeastern) : reduced form of Per(r)esson, from a pet form (with double diminutive suffix -eçon, -esson) of the personal name Pierre, French form of Peter.
  • Jewish : origin uncertain; perhaps an Americanized form of one or more like-sounding Jewish names.

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