Peter Boy

Popularity: #184 · Trend: ↗ Rising

Name Meaning & Origin Pronunciation: PEE-tur //ˈpiːtər//

Origin: Greek; Latin

Meaning: Greek: rock; Latin: stone

Historical & Cultural Background

The name Peter originates from the Greek word "petros," meaning "rock" or "stone." This term was derived from the earlier Greek word "petras," which also signifies a rock or cliff. The name was adopted into Latin as "Petrus," which was subsequently used in early Christian texts.

The introduction of the name into English occurred through the Old French form "Pierre," which was brought to England after the Norman Conquest in the 11th century. Thus, the name Peter has a rich linguistic lineage that traces back to ancient Greek and Latin, reflecting its foundational meaning in Christian theology.

Historically, the name Peter is most famously associated with Saint Peter, one of Jesus Christ's apostles, who is often regarded as the first Pope in Catholic tradition. His significance is underscored in the New Testament, where Jesus refers to him as the "rock" upon which the Church would be built, a pivotal moment that solidified the name's importance in Christian history.

The Vulgate, a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible, further popularized the name through its use in biblical texts. Over the centuries, numerous saints and martyrs named Peter have contributed to the name's enduring legacy within Christianity.

Culturally, the name Peter has been imbued with connotations of strength and reliability, reflective of its etymological roots. It has been a common name among various Christian communities, symbolizing faith and steadfastness.

The name has also inspired numerous variations and diminutives across different languages and cultures, such as "Pietro" in Italian and "Pieter" in Dutch, each carrying the same foundational meaning. The enduring nature of the name Peter in various forms across cultures highlights its significant role in religious and historical contexts.

Famous people named Peter

In this section, you will find notable people named Peter. We include individuals across a wide range of fields, including actors known for their work in film, television, and stage productions. You'll also find musicians, directors, and other public figures named Peter who have made a significant impact on popular culture.

We also feature individuals named Peter who have made meaningful contributions to science, politics, athletics, literature, and other areas of public interest.

Please note that not every baby name in our database currently has a famous namesake listed. If you would like to suggest a name we may have missed or submit a correction, feel free to contact us. We review and finalize additions and corrections within 24 hours.

Peter Parker is a fictional superhero best known for Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Peter Jackson is a film director best known for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit trilogy, and King Kong.

Peter Dinklage is an actor best known for Game of Thrones, The Station Agent, and Elf.

Peter Gabriel is a musician best known for his work with Genesis, Sledgehammer, and In Your Eyes.

Peter O'Toole is an actor best known for Lawrence of Arabia, The Lion in Winter, and My Favorite Year.

Peter Sellers is an actor and comedian best known for Dr. Strangelove, The Pink Panther, and Being There.

Peter Cushing is an actor best known for his roles in Star Wars, Hammer Horror films, and The Curse of Frankenstein.

Peter Sarsgaard is an actor best known for Boys Don't Cry, An Education, and Night and Day.

Peter Fonda is an actor best known for Easy Rider, Ulee's Gold, and The Wild Angels.

Peter Lorre is an actor best known for Casablanca, M, and The Maltese Falcon.

Peter Frampton is a musician best known for Frampton Comes Alive!, Show Me the Way, and Baby, I Love Your Way.

Peter Ustinov is an actor and writer best known for Spartacus, Death on the Nile, and The Last of Mrs. Cheyney.

Peter Capaldi is an actor best known for Doctor Who, The Thick of It, and In the Loop.

Peter Tork is a musician best known for being a member of The Monkees, and for his work on their television series.

Peter Andre is a singer and television personality best known for Mysterious Girl, and his appearances on British reality television.

Peter Molyneux is a video game designer best known for the Fable series, Dungeon Keeper, and Black & White.

Fictional characters named Peter

The following list of fictional characters named Peter is a work in progress. If you would like to suggest an additional character, please send us the character's name along with a brief, one-sentence description of what they are best known for.

You may also submit corrections, which we will review and update as quickly as possible.

Peter Parker is a fictional character from the comic book series Spider-Man. He is a high school student who gains spider-like abilities and becomes a superhero to protect New York City.

Peter Pan is a fictional character from the play and novel Peter Pan. He is a mischievous boy who can fly and never grows up, leading children on adventures in Neverland.

Peter Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the bumbling and often inappropriate father of the Griffin family, known for his humorous antics.

Peter Venkman is a fictional character from the film Ghostbusters. He is a parapsychologist and one of the founding members of the Ghostbusters team, known for his charm and wit.

Peter Quill is a fictional character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and comic book series Guardians of the Galaxy. He is a human-alien hybrid and the leader of the Guardians, known for his adventurous spirit and love of music.

Sibling suggestions

If you're looking for sibling name ideas that pair well with Peter, the following options are frequently chosen as complementary choices by parents.

PaulMarkJamesJohnAndrewMatthew

Similar names

Based on our extensive baby names database, several names share stylistic or phonetic similarities with Peter. These names can serve as alternatives to the sibling suggestions listed above and may help you find the perfect complementary name for your growing family.

PatrickPerryPaxtonParkerPrestonPeytonPhineasPercy

U.S. Historical Usage

The name Peter was first seen in the United States in 1880.

Peter has ranked as high as #70 nationally, which occurred in 1957, and has been most popular in New York, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

In the past 5 years the name Peter has been trending up compared to the previous 5 years.

Popularity Over Time (National)

The name Peter is part of our comprehensive baby names database, which includes Social Security Administration (SSA) data dating back to 1880—the first official year of state and national tracking. The chart below shows when Peter was first recorded in the United States and illustrates how its popularity has risen and fallen over time.

Popularity Over Time (National) — Table

We track the national popularity of each baby name annually. The table below displays each year along with the number of births reported by the Social Security Administration. This data combines all state-level reporting from the SSA's baby names database to provide a comprehensive view of overall birth counts for Peter.

Year Total Births Boy Girl
2025 1,954 1,954 0
2024 1,899 1,899 0
2023 1,750 1,750 0
2022 1,779 1,773 6
2021 1,785 1,785 0
2020 1,762 1,762 0
2019 1,821 1,821 0
2018 1,826 1,826 0
2017 1,793 1,793 0
2016 1,927 1,927 0
2015 1,939 1,939 0
2014 1,923 1,923 0
2013 1,854 1,854 0
2012 1,869 1,869 0
2011 1,838 1,838 0
2010 1,935 1,935 0
2009 2,009 2,009 0
2008 2,186 2,186 0
2007 2,340 2,340 0
2006 2,486 2,481 5
2005 2,561 2,555 6
2004 2,797 2,790 7
2003 2,804 2,804 0
2002 2,873 2,873 0
2001 2,950 2,950 0
2000 3,154 3,148 6
1999 3,439 3,439 0
1998 3,388 3,388 0
1997 3,839 3,829 10
1996 4,089 4,082 7
1995 4,127 4,112 15
1994 4,241 4,225 16
1993 4,547 4,538 9
1992 4,616 4,598 18
1991 4,970 4,959 11
1990 5,245 5,224 21
1989 5,432 5,411 21
1988 5,454 5,425 29
1987 5,586 5,553 33
1986 5,841 5,797 44
1985 5,701 5,671 30
1984 5,676 5,633 43
1983 5,519 5,482 37
1982 5,818 5,777 41
1981 6,030 5,997 33
1980 6,014 5,967 47
1979 6,117 6,079 38
1978 5,908 5,872 36
1977 5,854 5,821 33
1976 5,479 5,445 34
1975 5,720 5,698 22
1974 5,971 5,940 31
1973 5,939 5,913 26
1972 6,501 6,471 30
1971 7,064 7,025 39
1970 8,096 8,056 40
1969 7,868 7,832 36
1968 8,152 8,122 30
1967 8,335 8,311 24
1966 8,617 8,584 33
1965 9,415 9,395 20
1964 9,927 9,911 16
1963 9,637 9,614 23
1962 9,601 9,585 16
1961 10,388 10,349 39
1960 10,746 10,715 31
1959 11,316 11,289 27
1958 10,777 10,757 20
1957 11,628 11,603 25
1956 11,353 11,334 19
1955 11,022 11,003 19
1954 10,103 10,085 18
1953 9,752 9,729 23
1952 9,599 9,586 13
1951 9,013 8,999 14
1950 8,368 8,362 6
1949 8,282 8,266 16
1948 8,069 8,048 21
1947 8,609 8,590 19
1946 7,498 7,483 15
1945 6,505 6,483 22
1944 6,362 6,340 22
1943 6,894 6,877 17
1942 6,605 6,587 18
1941 5,620 5,607 13
1940 5,069 5,049 20
1939 4,650 4,639 11
1938 4,309 4,293 16
1937 3,823 3,809 14
1936 3,727 3,714 13
1935 3,433 3,422 11
1934 3,313 3,290 23
1933 3,153 3,137 16
1932 3,152 3,130 22
1931 3,138 3,122 16
1930 3,282 3,266 16
1929 3,241 3,216 25
1928 3,328 3,299 29
1927 3,327 3,301 26
1926 3,377 3,358 19
1925 3,386 3,373 13
1924 3,537 3,520 17
1923 3,427 3,409 18
1922 3,569 3,545 24
1921 3,564 3,548 16
1920 3,514 3,497 17
1919 3,391 3,375 16
1918 3,722 3,711 11
1917 3,477 3,464 13
1916 3,383 3,370 13
1915 3,322 3,302 20
1914 2,636 2,624 12
1913 1,943 1,934 9
1912 1,684 1,679 5
1911 850 845 5
1910 631 631 0
1909 539 539 0
1908 541 541 0
1907 473 473 0
1906 433 427 6
1905 409 409 0
1904 395 395 0
1903 372 372 0
1902 433 433 0
1901 343 343 0
1900 443 443 0
1899 360 354 6
1898 409 409 0
1897 397 397 0
1896 402 402 0
1895 412 412 0
1894 391 391 0
1893 392 392 0
1892 465 465 0
1891 396 396 0
1890 410 410 0
1889 425 425 0
1888 498 498 0
1887 427 421 6
1886 437 437 0
1885 516 516 0
1884 524 524 0
1883 450 450 0
1882 461 461 0
1881 428 428 0
1880 496 496 0

Top States for Peter (2024)

We track the most popular states for each baby name every year and highlight the locations where the name appears most frequently. The table below shows the five states with the highest number of births for this name in the selected year. Use the toggle to expand the list to every state with reported births.

State Births Share
CA 158
8%
TX 138
7%
NY 115
6%
PA 96
5%
FL 82
4%
OH 75
4%
MI 71
4%
IL 68
4%
UT 67
4%
VA 61
3%
WA 59
3%
GA 54
3%
MN 53
3%
MA 53
3%
NJ 51
3%
NC 49
3%
IN 45
2%
MO 45
2%
AZ 42
2%
WI 42
2%
TN 37
2%
KS 37
2%
MD 36
2%
CO 30
2%
SC 26
1%
LA 26
1%
CT 25
1%
AL 21
1%
OK 19
1%
OR 19
1%
IA 17
1%
ID 17
1%
AR 14
1%
NE 14
1%
SD 12
1%
KY 12
1%
MT 11
1%
NH 10
1%
DC 9
0%
ME 8
0%
NM 8
0%
NV 7
0%
AK 7
0%
HI 7
0%
ND 7
0%
VT 6
0%
RI 5
0%
WV 5
0%
WY 5
0%