Petrus is the Latin form of the Greek name Πέτρος (pétros) meaning "rock", and is the common English prefix "petro-" used to describe rock-based substances, like petros-oleum or "rock oil." As the source of Peter, it is a common name for people from antiquity through the medieval era. In the Netherlands, Belgium and South Africa it remained a very common given name, though in daily life, many use less formal forms like Peter, Pierre, Piet and Pieter.
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People with the name
Petrus, Saint Peter, a Christian apostle and a founder of the Church
Petrus (archbishop of Uppsala), third archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden, between 1187–1197
Justinian I, whose given name was Petrus Sabbatius
Latinized medieval and Renaissance name
Petrus Abailardus, Latin name for Peter Abelard (1079–1142)
Petrus de Abano (Pietro d'Abano; 1257–1315), Italian philosopher and doctor
Petrus Alphonsi (fl. 1106–1110), Spanish Jewish writer
Petrus Augustus (545–602), Byzantine curopalates
Petrus Aureolus (1280–1322), French theologian
Petrus Baldus de Ubaldis (1327–1400), Italian jurist
Petrus Bernardinus (1475–1502), Florentine sectarian
Petrus Bertius (Pieter de Bert; 1565–1629), Flemish theologian, historian, geographer and cartographer
Petrus Bonus (Pietro Boni; fl. 1330s), Italian alchemist
Petrus Canisius (Pieter Kanis; 1521–1597), Dutch Jesuit Catholic theologian
Petrus Capuanus (fl. 1197–1214), Italian scholastic
Petrus Christus (ca. 1410/1420 – ca. 1475/76), Dutch painter
Petrus Comestor (Pierre le Mangeur; died c.1178), French theological writer and university administrator
Petrus de Cruce (fl. 1290–1302), Italian cleric, composer, and author
Petrus Cunaeus (Peter van der Kun; 1586–1638), Dutch philosopher
Petrus de Dacia (1230s–1289), Swedish monk, first author in Sweden
Petrus Dasypodius (Peter Hasenfratz, ca. 1495–1559), Swiss humanist
Petrus Dathenus (Pieter Datheen; c.1531–1588), Dutch Calvinist theologian
Petrus Diaconus (Pietro Diacono; c.1110–c.1159), Italian librarian of Montecassino
Petrus Divaeus (Pieter van Dieven;1535–1581), Flemish historian
Petrus Dorlandus (Peter van Diest; 1451–1507), Flemish writer of the play Elckerlijc (translated into Everyman)
Petrus Forestus (Pieter van Foreest; 1521–1597), Dutch physician
Petrus de Natalibus (fl. 1400), Venetian hagiographer
Petrus Peregrinus or Peter de Maricourt (fl. 1269), French writer on magnetism and astrolabes
Petrus Plancius (Pieter Platevoet; 1552–1622), Netherlandish astronomer, cartographer and clergyman
Petrus Ramus (1515–1572), French humanist, logician, and educational reformer
Modern given name
Petrus van der Aa (1530–1594), Brabantian jurist
Petrus Beukers (1899–1981), Dutch Olympic sailor
Petrus Johannes Blok (1855–1929), Dutch historian
Petrus Bosman (1928–2008), South African ballet dancer, teacher, and choreographer
Petrus Boumal (born 1993), Cameroonian footballer
Petrus Breitenbach (born 1987), South African lawn bowler
Petrus Camper (1722–1789), Dutch polymath
Petrus Codde (1648–1710), Dutch Old Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht
Pierre Cuypers (1827–1921), Dutch architect
Petrus Josephus Wilhelmus Debije (1884–1966), Dutch-American physicist, Nobel laureate in Chemistry
Petrus Augustus de Génestet (1829–1861), Dutch poet and theologian
Petrus Ferdinandus Johannes van Hooijdonk (born 1969), Dutch footballer
Petrus de Jong (1915–2016), Dutch Prime Minister
Petrus Jacobus Joubert (1834–1900), Commandant-General of the South African Republic
Piet Keizer (1943–2017), Dutch footballer
Petrus Adrianus Kerstens (1896–1958), Dutch minister of Economic Affairs