The father was a fisherman by trade, as were his sons Peter and Andrew. According to John 1:42 and 21:15-17, his name was John ( ̓Ιωάννης, G2722 following the better MSS a variant reading in each case has Jonah). Peter’s father’s name was Jonah ( ̓Ιωνᾶς, G2731) according to Matthew 16:17. A study of the various contexts of these passages, however, strongly indicates that Paul was referring to the same person by these two names. Only in Galatians 2:7 and 8 does Paul use the name Peter. All the other occurrences of Cephas in the NT are in the Pauline letters ( 1 Cor 1:12 3:22 9:5 15:5 Gal 1:18 2:9, 11, 14). Sometimes the use of both names is indicated ( Matt 4:18 10:2 Acts 10:5, 18, 32 11:13). His earlier name was Simon ( Σίμων, G4981), a common name among Greeks and Jews. This name was given to him by Jesus ( Mark 3:16 Luke 6:14 John 1:42).
The man who figures generally as the leader of the twelve disciples in the NT usually bears the name Peter ( Πέτρος, G4377).
