Peter

Meaning: Stone, rock
Origin: English (from Ancient Greek, via Latin)

Nicknames: Pete, Petey

Boy's name · #187 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Peter has held steady since 1880, standing at #187 in 2025. It held the national top 100 for more than a century without a break.

Across the states

See where Peter is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 50 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Peter ranks in other countries and regions.

#31 in Hungary (2025) · #122 in Austria (2025) · #128 in Slovenia (2025) · #154 in Ireland (2025) · #155 in N. Ireland (2025) · #174 in Norway (2025) · #210 in New Zealand (2025) · #290 in England & Wales (2025) · #331 in Scotland (2025) · #498 in Netherlands (2025) · #666 in Sweden (2025) · #696 in Ecuador (2025) and 3 more.

Famous Peters

Peter the Great — Tsar/Emperor of Russia from 1682 to 1725
Peter Paul Rubens — Flemish painter (1577–1640)
Peter Kropotkin — Russian revolutionary socialist and philosopher (1842–1921)
Peter O'Toole — British-Irish actor (1932–2013)
Peter Abelard — French scholastic philosopher, theologian and preeminent logician (c. 1079–1142)

In stories & tradition

Peter (Spider-Man) — Spider-Man (video game)
Peter Pan — Peter Pan (book)
Peter Griffin — Family Guy (TV series)

What Peters become

Among 35,928 notable people named Peter:

Scientists & scholars appear 1.41× more often than among typical names — e.g. Peter Kropotkin, Russian revolutionary socialist and philosopher (1842–1921).

Spellings & nicknames

About 53 boys a year are given Pete as their full name.

Similar names: George · Perry · Louis · Victor · Paul · Martin

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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