The English and German surname Peters, also found in Ireland and Holland is of patronymic origin, being derived from the personal name Peter, from the Greek Petros, from petra meaning “ a rock or a stone.” As a surname it is first recorded at the end of the 12th century, with that of Ralph Peter in the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire in 1195. Amongst the early famous name holders was Hugh Peters (1598 - 1660). He was the chaplain to the parliamentary army of Oliver Cromwell, and was executed at Charring Cross in 1660 as a regicide, having signed the death warrant of King Charles 1st in 1648.