Peter
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Peter
Peter is derived from the Greek Petros, meaning "rock" or "stone." One of the most important figures in the Christian hagiography is Saint Peter, keeper of the Gates of Heaven. Born Simon bar Jonah, he was given the nickname Peter by Jesus, to signify that he would be the rock on which Christ would build Christianity. Centuries later, there was Peter the Great, the czar who developed Russia as a major European power.
For generations, there have been pleasant childhood associations with this classic New Testament name, what with Peter Rabbit, Peter Pan, et al. But as user-friendly as this makes the name, it has a solid, traditional side as well.
Never as widely used as some of the more traditional Anglo-Saxon stalwarts, Peter retains an enduring appeal to parents seeking a less-used classic, with those nice childhood associations. Peter also has some interesting derivatives: The Brits like Piers; the Irish, Pierce and Pearse; the Italians, Piero and Pietro; the Spanish, Pedro; the French, Pierre; and the Dutch, Piet.
One potential problem: in some parts of the world, "peter" can be a slang term for "penis".
Peter is also given to girls.
Pronounced PEE-tur.
As of October 2026, Peter ranked #187 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #31 in 1880, Nameberry popularity #90.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #204 | 1,923 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #205 | 1,938 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #207 | 1,926 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #214 | 1,792 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #211 | 1,826 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #212 | 1,819 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #215 | 1,762 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #215 | 1,785 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #213 | 1,773 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #210 | 1,749 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #192 | 1,889 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #187 | 1,954 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Peter for boys
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Peter.
Peter on lists
Famous Peters
- Saint Peter Martyr of VeronaBoy
Italian martyr
- Peter I aka Peter the Great (born Peter Alekseyevich)Boy
Russian Emperor
- Peter II AlexeyevichBoy
Russian Emperor
- Peter III (born Karl Peter Ulrich)Boy
Russian Emperor
- Peter IBoy
King of Serbia
- Peter IIBoy
last King of Yugoslavia
- Peter I and IIBoy
Kings of Portugal
- Peter I and IIBoy
Kings of Cyprus
- Peter I and IIBoy
Emperors of Bulgaria
- Peter IBoy
III, Kings of Aragon
- Peter IBoy
VII, Popes of Alexandria
- PeterBoy
Prince of Greece and Denmark
- Peter Seamus O'TooleBoy
British actor
- Richard Henry "Peter" SellersBoy
English actor
- Pyotr Alexeyevich "Peter" KropotkinBoy
Russian revolutionary
- Peter James CrouchBoy
English footballer
- Peter Wilton CushingBoy
English actor
- Peter Press "Pete" MaravichBoy
American basketball player
- Peter 'Pete' O'HanlonBoy
bassist from Irish band The Strypes
- Peter Andreas ThielBoy
American billionaire founder of PayPal
- Peter Michael FalkBoy
American Actor
- Peter FacinelliBoy
American actor
- (John) Peter SarsgaardBoy
American actor
- Peter Gene HernandezBoy
birth name of Bruno Mars, American pop singer
- Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" TownsendBoy
English musician of The Who
- Peter Robert JacksonBoy
New Zealand film director/producer/screenwriter
- Peter Brian GabrielBoy
English musician
- Peter BogdanovichBoy
American film director
- Peter Lawrence BoyleBoy
American actor
- Peter Szymon SerafinowiczBoy
British actor
- Peter Kenneth FramptonBoy
English,American musician
- Peter Hayden DinklageBoy
American actor
- Peter Henry FondaBoy
American actor
- Peter OnoratiBoy
American actor
- Peter Alexander UstinovBoy
English actor
- Peter Alexis Shukoff aka Nice PeterBoy
Youtube personality of "Epic Rap Battles of History"
- Peter Charles Archibald Ewart JenningsBoy
Canadian,American TV journalist
- Peter Lewis Kingston "Pete" Wentz IIIBoy
American bassist for Fall Out Boy
- Peter Lorre (born László Löwenstein)Boy
Slovakian,American actor
- Peter Tosh (born Winston Hubert McIntosh)Boy
Jamaican reggae musician
- Peter Soyer BeagleBoy
American novelist
- Peter Dougan CapaldiBoy
Scottish Actor
- Peter JacobsonBoy
American actor
- Peter Gustav Lejeune DirichletBoy
German mathematician
- Peter TaitBoy
Scottish mathematical physicist
- Peter YarrowBoy
American singer,songwriter of Peter, Paul and Mary
- Peter TorkBoy
stage name of Peter Halsten Thorkelson, American musician of The Monkees
- Peter Joseph William DebyeBoy
Dutch,American physicist & chemist
- (Randolph) Peter "Pete" BestBoy
English original drummer for The Beatles
- Peter Van Pels aka Peter Van DaanBoy
German,Dutch boy who appeared in The Diary of Anne Frank
- Peter Andrew FurlerBoy
Australian Former lead singer of Newsboys
- Peter DaCunhaBoy
Canadian actor
- Peter OgnibeneBoy
American child model; twin brother of Caroline
- Peter "Pete" ZamperiniBoy
brother of WWII POW Louis Zamperini
- Peter Arne JöbackBoy
Swedish musician
- Peter ColbertBoy
son of Stephen Colbert & Evelyn McGee,Colbert
- Peter GilyardBoy
son of former American actor Clarence Gilyard
- Peter CunnahBoy
Irish musician of the group D,Ream
- Peter Mark Andrew PhillipsBoy
British royal, son of Princess Anne
- Peter AllenBoy
Australian musician
- Peter RiegertBoy
American actor
- Peter Connelly (b. 2006)Boy
1 year old British boy who died from child abuse in 2007
Peter in pop culture
- Peter PanBoy
fictional character created by J. M. Barrie
- "Peter RabbitBoy
" children's book by Beatrix Potter
- Peter ParkerBoy
also known as Spider,Man, character in the Marvel Universe
- Peter “Pete” BrockmanBoy
character in British sitcom “Outnumbered”
- Peter Jason QuillBoy
also known as Star,Lord, character in the Marvel Universe
- Peter PevensieBoy
from C.S. Lewis's "The Chronicles of Narnia" series
- Peter "Wormtail" PettigrewBoy
character from the "Harry Potter" series
- "PeterBoy
Peter Pumpkin Eater," nursery rhyme
- Peter BradyBoy
middle son on "The Brady Bunch"
- PeterBoy
main character in "First Light," a novel by Rebecca Stead
- Peter “Pete” BealeBoy
father of Ian Beale in British soap opera “Eastenders”
- Peter BealeBoy
son of Ian Beale in British soap opera “Eastenders”
- Peter BarlowBoy
character from British soap opera "Coronation Street"
- Peter BishopBoy
character on TV show "Fringe"
- Peter ClarksonBoy
antagonist in novel "Ten Things I Hate About Me"
- Peter "Pete" BrockmanBoy
Dad in British Comedy "Outnumbered"
- Peter Joseph "Peejoe" BullisBoy
character from movie "Crazy in Alabama"
- Peter FlorrickBoy
character on "The Good Wife"
- Peter GriffinBoy
main character on TV's "Family Guy"
- Peter HaleBoy
character from MTV's "Teen Wolf"
- Peter HayesBoy
character in "Divergent" series
- Peter Grant KavinskyBoy
main character from "To All the Boys I've Loved Before," "P.S. I Still Love You" and "Always and Forever, Lara Jean" by Jenny Han
- Peter GarciaBoy
character in "Sims" series
- Peter BurkeBoy
character on TV's "White Collar"
- Peter GrahamBoy
chatacter in "Hereditary"
- Peter KirklandBoy
personification of Sealand in anime "Axis Powers: Hetalia"
- Peter MalboroBoy
character in Quebec parody show "Le coeur a ses raisons"
- Peter MillsBoy
character on TV's "Chicago Fire"
- Peter van DaanBoy
pseudonym for Peter van Pels in "The Diary of Anne Frank"
- Police Sargent Peter NoakesBoy
character on series "Call the Midwife"
- Peter PortBoy
professor voiced by Ryan Haywood in web series RWBY
- Peter PrenticeBoy
character from series "The Mindy Project"
- Peter MaximoffBoy
also known as Quicksilver, character in Marvel Universe
- Peter PorkerBoy
also known as Spider,Ham, character in Marvel Universe
- Peter PetrelliBoy
character on TV show "Heroes"
- Peter HastingsBoy
Spencer Hastings' father in "Pretty Little Liars"
- Peter ShepherdBoy
boy character in "Jumanji"
- Peter the PandaBoy
Dr. Doofenshmirtz's ex nemesis in "Phineas and Ferb"
- Peter BishopBoy
character on JJ Abrams TV series "Fringe"
- Peter NureyevBoy
character on "The Penumbra Podcast"
- Peter JeromeBoy
character on the ABC Sitcom "Soul Man"
- Peter LukasBoy
character on "The Magnus Archives"
- Peter RatriBoy
main antagonist in the manga/anime series "The Promised Neverland"
- "Peter"Boy
Song by Taylor Swift featured in "The Tortured Poets Department"