Peter
Feminine · “a rock”
Peter is given to boys far more often — 589,588 boys against 1,943 girls since 1880. See Peter as a boy name
Parsley and petroleum are carrying the same Greek word as this name. Petroleum is rock oil; parsley is rock celery, from a plant that grows in stony ground; and the name is simply rock, given as a nickname to a fisherman and used ever since as though it were what he was christened.
How old is the name Peter?
Peter first appears in US birth records in 1887 — 138 years ago. The typical Peter alive today was born around 1966, making them about 59 years old. About 1,400 people named Peter are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Peter most popular?
Peter peaked in 1887, reaching #1036 nationally. See the whole 1887 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Kephas to Peter
The story of Peter
A seabird may be named after him. Storm petrels are small ocean birds that feed by fluttering just above the surface with their feet pattering on the water, so that they appear to be walking on it, and the usual explanation of the name is that sailors called them little Peters after the gospel account. The derivation is not certain — it appears comparatively late and there are competing suggestions — but it has been repeated since the seventeenth century and no better explanation has been offered. The birds nest on remote islands and spend the rest of their lives out of sight of land.
Meaning
a rock
Greek, and the sense is not in dispute. The name is a translation of an Aramaic nickname rather than a borrowing of it, which is unusual: most names cross languages by sound rather than by meaning.
How the name formed
- Kephas
- Petros
- Peter
Related forms: Pedro · Pietro · Pierre · Pyotr
Pronouncing Peter
PEE-tur
Two syllables with the stress at the front. The spelling is entirely unambiguous and the name is never mispronounced in English.
Nicknames for Peter
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1887
- Most girls named
- 197139 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1036reached in 1887
- Change vs 2005
- 0.0%6 in 2022, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Peter in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Pedro in Spanish — same name
- Pietro in Italian — same name
- Pierre in French — same name
- Pyotr in Russian — same name
Peters among us
people named Peter are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Peter sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is recognized in every European language with minimal change.
- The meaning is concrete, solid and easy to explain to a child.
- It has been in continuous use for as long as records exist.
- Its peak was very early and the name carries some of that age.
- Pete is common enough that the full form may rarely be used.
- The record holds girls as well, and the girl is much the smaller side.
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What they receive
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Peter
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Peters are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,400 people named Peter are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Peter in 2025?
- Peter is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Peter with classmates?
- Peter will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More P names
The most-given names starting with P, all years combined.
Patricia#1334 · Pamela#2239 · Phyllis#11932 · Peggy#8362 · Paula#853 · Pauline#2957 · Pearl#776 · Paige#346
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Peter? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Peter and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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