Meaning & History
Pjotrs is the Latvian form of Pyotr, the Russian variant of Peter. The name is derived from the Greek Petros, meaning "stone." According to the New Testament, the apostle Simon was renamed Cephas ("stone" in Aramaic) by Jesus, and this was translated as Petros in Greek (see Matthew 16:18 and John 1:42). The Russian form Pyotr, pronounced /pʲotr/, entered Latvian through cultural and linguistic contact, and Pjotrs represents a transliteration of that name into the Latvian language.
The name Pjotrs has been used in Latvia primarily by Russian-speaking residents and is less common among ethnic Latvians, who more frequently use the native form Pēteris. According to the Latvian Population Register, as of May 2010, Pjotrs was the only given name of 3,215 persons in Latvia. The name is first recorded in Latvian records in 1695, indicating its long history in the region.
Notable bearers of the name Pjotrs in Latvia include Pjotrs Tarasenkovs (born 1960), a Latvian cyclist who competed in the 1980 Summer Olympics; Pjotrs Truhins (born 1959), a Latvian boxer; and Pjotrs (given name alone), a diminutive of Pjotris or popular in its own right. The name is also found in other cultural contexts, such as in the Latvian film „Pjotrs Ir Tiektiņš, kas Notikums?”.
Etymology
Pjotrs is a direct borrowing from Russian Pyotr, which itself came from Greek Petros. The influence of Orthodox Christianity and historical Russian presence in Latvia contributed to the adoption and formalization of the name Pjotrs as a legitimate Latvian given name, distinct from the native-Latvian Pēteris.
Related Names
- Pēteris (the native Latvian form of Peter)
- Petras, Petrus, and other European variants
Related Names
Sources: Wiktionary — Pjotrs