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Meaning & History
Petros is the original Greek and Armenian form of the name Peter, meaning "stone" or "rock." Derived from the Greek word Πέτρος (Petros), it is a translation of the Aramaic name Cephas, given by Jesus to the apostle Simon, as recorded in the New Testament (Matthew 16:18 and John 1:42). This name is used in Greek Bible translations and has been adopted into Armenian and Coptic traditions.
Etymology
The Greek Petros directly translates to "stone," reflecting the foundational role of the apostle Peter in Christianity. In Armenian, the name is often rendered as Bedros, which shares the same roots. The Armenian variant may occur as a reduced form or with altered phonetics due to language evolution.Notable Bearers
In the Eastern Orthodox world, Petros has been borne by numerous saints and religious figures. According to the Wikipedia extract, notable individuals include:- Petros I–VI – Several patriarchs and popes of Alexandria or Antioch bearing the name.
- Petros (Petik) – An Armenian merchant magnate of the late 16th and first half of the 17th centuries.
- Petros Adamian (1849–1891) – Armenian actor, writer, and artist.
- Petros Avetisyan (born 1996) – Armenian footballer.
- Petros Bereketis (c. 1665–c. 1725) – Greek-Ottoman musician.
- Petros Byzantios (fl. 1770–1808) – Greek-Ottoman musician.
- Petros Clerides (born 1946) – Former attorney general of Cyprus.
- Petros Duryan (1851–1872) – Armenian poet, playwright, and actor.
- Petros Elia of Baz (1880–1932) – Also known as Agha Petros, an Assyrian leader during World War I.
- Petros Fyssoun (1933–2016) – Greek actor.
- Petros Galaktopoulos – Greek wrestler and politician.
Cultural Significance
Petros has been widely used in Eastern Christian communities, particularly within the Greek and Armenian Apostolic churches. The name appears not only as a given name but also forms surnames such as Petrosyan (Armenian) and Bedrosian (Armenian), reflecting paternal descent.- Origin: Greek, Armenian
- Meaning: "Stone" or "rock"
- Type: First name, often given in Eastern Christian traditions
- Usage Regions: Greece, Armenia, Cyprus, Egypt (Coptic communities)
Related Names
Variants
(Armenian)
Bedros
Feminine Forms
(Greek)
Petroula
Other Languages & Cultures
(Albanian)
Pjetër (Coptic)
Botros, Boutros, Butrus (Basque)
Peru (Finnish)
Petri (Basque)
Peio (Polish)
Piotr (Swedish)
Peter (Dutch)
Petrus (Swedish)
Per (Breton)
Perig (French)
Pierrick (Serbian)
Petar (Bulgarian)
Pencho, Penko (Serbian)
Petko (Catalan)
Pere (Romanian)
Petru (Serbian)
Pejo, Perica, Pero (Czech)
Petr, Péťa, Peťa, Petřík (Swedish)
Peder (Norwegian)
Peer (Dutch)
Pieter (Italian)
Pier (Dutch)
Piet (English)
Peers, Pete (Medieval French)
Piers (Ukrainian)
Petro (Estonian)
Peeter (Faroese)
Petur (Finnish)
Petteri, Pietari, Peetu, Pekka (Swedish)
Pierre (French)
Pierrot (Limburgish)
Pitter (Romanian)
Petre (Hausa)
Bitrus (Hawaiian)
Pika 1 (Hungarian)
Péter, Peti (Icelandic)
Pétur (Scottish Gaelic)
Peadar (Irish)
Piaras (Italian)
Pietro, Pierino, Piero (Latvian)
Pēteris, Pjotrs (Limburgish)
Pit (Literature)
Petruchio (Lithuanian)
Petras (Macedonian)
Pece (Maori)
Petera (Medieval Italian)
Petruccio (Norman)
Pièrre (Swedish)
Petter (Occitan)
Pèire (Polish)
Piotrek (Spanish)
Pedro (Portuguese)
Pedrinho (Romanian)
Petrică, Petruț (Russian)
Pyotr, Petia, Petya (Sardinian)
Pedru (Swedish)
Pär, Pehr, Pelle (Welsh)
Pedr
Sources: Wikipedia — Petros (given name)