Frequency: (1999)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. German and Dutch: from Petri, a Latinized patronymic from Peter.
2. Probably also a variant of Scottish Petrie.
FOREBEARS: Johan Jacob Petry came to Philadelphia from the Palatinate in 1743 at the age of 21.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
