Peter Name Meaning

The name “Peter” is a classic, timeless name that means “stone”.

Origins of the Name Peter

The name “Peter” comes from the Greek “Petros,” which means “rock.” It’s no coincidence that one of the most famous Peters in history is none other than Peter the Apostle, who Jesus famously dubbed the “rock” upon which He would build His church.

Popularity of the Name Peter

So why has the name “Peter” stood the test of time? One reason could be its strong association with the Christian faith, as Peter the Apostle is a prominent figure in the Bible. Additionally, the name has been borne by many notable figures throughout history, which has helped to keep it in the public consciousness.

Despite its long history and notable bearers, the name Peter is not as popular as it used to be. The name reached its peak popularity in the 1940s, but has since been on a decline. It’s still a classic, timeless name, but it’s not as common as it used to be.

Famous Peters

Of course, Peter the Apostle isn’t the only famous Peter in history. The name has been borne by kings, popes, and literary figures throughout the ages. Here are just a few examples:

  • Peter the Great was the Tsar of Russia from 1682 to 1725, and is credited with modernizing and westernizing the country.
  • Pope St. Peter was the first bishop of Rome and is considered by the Catholic Church to be the first pope.
  • Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up, is a fictional character created by J.M. Barrie in the early 1900s.

Final Thoughts on the Name Peter

All in all, “Peter” is a name with a rich history and plenty of interesting stories behind it. From Peter the Apostle to Peter the Great, there are plenty of notable figures who have borne the name. While it may not be as popular as it once was, it’s still a classic, timeless name that will never go out of style.

Infographic of Peter name meaning, which is Meaning stone, Peter is a Greek name.
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Peter Name Popularity

How popular is the name Peter? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 58 578 0.1642%
1911 51 793 0.213%
1912 48 1,647 0.3266%
1913 51 1,903 0.3356%
1914 48 2,604 0.3737%
1915 48 3,291 0.3622%
1916 50 3,359 0.3477%
1917 50 3,452 0.345%
1918 53 3,698 0.3446%
1919 57 3,357 0.3206%
1920 57 3,480 0.313%
1921 58 3,530 0.3083%
1922 57 3,535 0.3173%
1923 58 3,402 0.3037%
1924 59 3,510 0.3023%
1925 60 3,369 0.2981%
1926 58 3,356 0.3051%
1927 59 3,292 0.2974%
1928 56 3,284 0.3069%
1929 55 3,201 0.309%
1930 56 3,251 0.3112%
1931 61 3,094 0.3135%
1932 62 3,112 0.315%
1933 60 3,120 0.3349%
1934 61 3,277 0.339%
1935 59 3,413 0.3512%
1936 56 3,705 0.3846%
1937 51 3,805 0.3861%
1938 48 4,289 0.419%
1939 46 4,632 0.4554%
1940 43 5,039 0.4741%
1941 44 5,605 0.498%
1942 39 6,582 0.5212%
1943 39 6,870 0.5262%
1944 40 6,341 0.5116%
1945 38 6,480 0.5313%
1946 38 7,471 0.5063%
1947 36 8,591 0.5147%
1948 37 8,050 0.5043%
1949 38 8,259 0.5134%
1950 37 8,365 0.5195%
1951 38 9,008 0.5313%
1952 36 9,590 0.5494%
1953 38 9,730 0.5498%
1954 37 10,078 0.5513%
1955 35 11,004 0.5982%
1956 37 11,318 0.5992%
1957 37 11,593 0.6025%
1958 41 10,741 0.5683%
1959 40 11,286 0.594%
1960 41 10,722 0.5659%
1961 42 10,338 0.5476%
1962 43 9,579 0.5218%
1963 40 9,622 0.536%
1964 39 9,904 0.5627%
1965 39 9,391 0.5743%
1966 39 8,578 0.5494%
1967 39 8,324 0.5485%
1968 39 8,131 0.5415%
1969 43 7,836 0.5086%
1970 44 8,052 0.506%
1971 47 7,031 0.4679%
1972 48 6,480 0.4758%
1973 52 5,918 0.4565%
1974 50 5,942 0.4572%
1975 54 5,706 0.444%
1976 54 5,447 0.4226%
1977 54 5,825 0.4321%
1978 54 5,884 0.4377%
1979 53 6,078 0.4311%
1980 55 5,967 0.4081%
1981 55 5,996 0.4079%
1982 57 5,781 0.3869%
1983 59 5,482 0.3715%
1984 60 5,634 0.3787%
1985 60 5,664 0.3732%
1986 60 5,798 0.3841%
1987 64 5,542 0.3632%
1988 64 5,422 0.3479%
1989 66 5,402 0.3348%
1990 74 5,211 0.3144%
1991 77 4,958 0.3042%
1992 81 4,590 0.2876%
1993 82 4,534 0.2908%
1994 87 4,217 0.2748%
1995 89 4,102 0.2722%
1996 95 4,072 0.272%
1997 102 3,821 0.2583%
1998 111 3,378 0.2257%
1999 105 3,430 0.229%
2000 125 3,137 0.2054%
2001 133 2,944 0.1954%
2002 134 2,853 0.1904%
2003 146 2,781 0.1828%
2004 143 2,787 0.1829%
2005 162 2,540 0.1661%
2006 167 2,464 0.1574%
2007 177 2,331 0.1477%
2008 181 2,167 0.1402%
2009 190 1,992 0.1333%
2010 193 1,914 0.1328%
2011 199 1,817 0.1275%
2012 204 1,845 0.1295%
2013 205 1,836 0.129%
2014 202 1,905 0.1308%
2015 204 1,920 0.132%
2016 207 1,898 0.1316%
2017 213 1,762 0.1262%
2018 210 1,801 0.1311%
2019 210 1,784 0.1318%
2020 215 1,677 0.1318%
2021 215 1,757 0.1437%
2022 212 1,738 0.1317%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Peter

If you like Peter, you’ll love these other names like Peter.

What names are diminutives of Peter?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Peter sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Peter, but shorter.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Pete

Rock

Greek

What names are variants of Peter?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Peter.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Boutros

Rock

Greek

Par

Rock

Greek

Peder

Rock

Greek

Pedro

Stone

Spanish

Pekka

Rock

Greek

Per

Rock

Greek

Petar

Rock

Greek

Pete

Rock

Greek

Peterson

Rock

Greek

Petr

Rock

Greek

Petre

Rock

Greek

Petros

Rock

Greek

Petrov

Rock

Greek

Pierce

A variant form of Peter.

Greek

Piero

Rock

Spanish

Pierre

The French form of Peter, meaning “stone.”

French

Piet

Rock

Greek

Pieter

Rock

Greek

Pietro

Rock

Spanish

Piotr

Rock

Greek

Pyotr

Rock

Greek

What names sound like Peter?

If you like how Peter sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Peter.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Pedrio

Spanish

Potter

Maker of pots

English

What names are similar to Peter?

Find a name that’s like Peter, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Cephas

Rock

Hebrew

Ferris

“(A man of) iron,” from the Latin ferrum, iron.

Irish

Parkins

Rock

English

Pekelo

Rock

Polynesian

Perkin

Rock

English

Piers

Rock

Greek

Lists With Peter

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Peter.

Siblings of Peter

Mamas with kids named Peter also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Mairead

Pearl

Greek

Noah

To rest

Hebrew

Adam

Man

Hebrew

Annelise

Graced with God's bounty

Latin

Grace

Gracious one

English

Jonathan

God has given

Hebrew

Bennett

Blessed

English

Levi

Joined together

Hebrew

14 Comments

  1. I was after my grandfather and uncle.
    We have continued with the name Peter with my son and grandson.

    Reply

  2. I wanted a biblical name and the name Peter popped in my head while at church one day. I like that the name isn’t overused and is easy to understand, spell and pronounce. I don’t like that people think of the character Peter Pan or the phrase skeeter Peter pecker eater. For a nickname we call him baby Pete or Petey.

    Reply

  3. I named my son Peter after my grandfather.
    I named my daughter Belle after my childhood.

    Reply

  4. We chose the name Peter Kelly in memory of my husband’s two grandfathers – Pete and Kelly. Both men had a huge impact on my husband’s life as he grew up and we were so happy to have a son through whom to carry on their names.

    Reply

  5. We had just really liked the name Peter as it is a strong name that will not ever sound outdated.

    Reply

  6. We picked Peter because it is a family name, he is the 5th Peter on his dad’s side of the family. I love the classic nature of the name, also like that Peter was the name of one of Jesus’ disciples.

    Reply

  7. My husband picked out name Peter, because he was a friend and follower of Jesus, and he was a genuine human with real struggles and growth. The name grew on me over the course of pregnancy. I like that Peter means Rock. May he be founded on the Rock of Jesus, and be a rock for others too.

    Reply

  8. My husband and I chose the name Peter for our firstborn son before we were even married… we love the apostle Peter in the Bible. We love his zeal in all things and that even though he was impetuous at times, he quickly repented and pressed on. It’s a classic name but doesn’t seem to be used much any more. I love it altogether, and there is nothing I dislike about this manly but sweet name ?

    Reply

  9. I chose it because it was biblical.

    Reply

  10. We chose Peter to go with our other son, Silas. We are planning to name all of our boys after preachers from the Bible, and we really like Peter for this little guy!

    Reply

  11. It’s my husband’s first name and my mother-in-laws maiden name. We lost her before we started having children.
    We have 5 daughters so we needed a solid boys name. Love that it means Rock. His middle name is Matthias which means gift from God.

    Reply

  12. It’s my husband’s middle name! Also, his family has a tradition of using Bible names for all their boys, alternating New Testament/Old Testament (that wasn’t a requirement but it ended up working out that way so they, and we, just continued the pattern). It helped make our decision easier because we had less names to choose from! Plus we wanted a family connection, so going with my husband’s middle name was an easy decision.

    We also like the meaning and connection to Jesus’ disciple Peter. He wasn’t a perfect person by any means, but his story is an example of how incredible God’s grace is, and how God can use us even when we have failed Him!

    Reply

  13. We named our third son Peter because I love Jesus’ apostle Peter, it is another short name to go along with his two older brothers’ names (Noah and Adam), it has few nicknames, we wanted a Biblical name, and I had dreamed we should name him Peter.

    Reply

  14. My son is named Peter after his father and grandfather.

    Reply

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