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Peter

“Stone, rock” — Ancient Greek, via Latin origin

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

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. Peter's short forms are Pete and Petey.

Around the world: #31 in Hungary (2025).

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

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 · The Amazing Spider-Man
• Peter Pan — Peter Pan · Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up
• Peter Griffin — Family Guy

What Peters become

Among 35,930 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).

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

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

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