Peter
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- PEE-ta
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #279 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #187 for boys
- Style
- Timeless
Peter is a boys' name of Greek origin, meaning “stone, rock”. In 2025 it ranked 279th for boys in the UK (184 babies) and 187th for boys in the US (1,954 babies).
What does Peter mean?
Greek: from Petros
“stone, rock”
Jesus gave the apostle Simon the name Peter, calling him the rock on which he would build his church.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Peter a girl's or a boy's name?
Peter is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 184 boys in the UK and 1,954 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Peter in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 279th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 184 about 1 in 1,600 boys
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 31% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 184 boys in the UK were named Peter, making it the 279th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 221st. Its busiest year was 1997, with 1,293 boys.
2025 had the fewest boys named Peter since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the boys named Peter in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2012. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 287th in England and Wales, 316th in Scotland and 149th in Northern Ireland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#59), 1914 (#42), 1924 (#11), 1934 (#2), 1944 (#4), 1954 (#5), 1964 (#12), 1974 (#23), 1984 (#23) and 1994 (#51).
Peter in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 184 | #279 |
| 2024 | 194 | #272 |
| 2023 | 227 | #236 |
| 2022 | 211 | #250 |
| 2021 | 250 | #231 |
| 2020 | 253 | #221 |
| 2019 | 299 | #191 |
| 2018 | 327 | #185 |
| 2017 | 354 | #174 |
| 2016 | 363 | #180 |
| 2015 | 397 | #169 |
| 2014 | 462 | #148 |
| 2013 | 387 | #166 |
| 2012 | 385 | #169 |
| 2011 | 479 | #145 |
| 2010 | 500 | #137 |
| 2009 | 517 | #130 |
| 2008 | 553 | #118 |
| 2007 | 604 | #114 |
| 2006 | 601 | #109 |
| 2005 | 558 | #115 |
| 2004 | 645 | #102 |
| 2003 | 660 | #95 |
| 2002 | 682 | #91 |
| 2001 | 774 | #86 |
| 2000 | 831 | #73 |
| 1999 | 1,000 | #68 |
| 1998 | 1,174 | #65 |
| 1997 | 1,293 | #62 |
| 1996 | 1,261 | #60 |
How popular is Peter in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 187th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 1,954 about 1 in 870 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 4% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.6% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 1,954 boys in the US were named Peter, making it the 187th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 215th. Its busiest year was 1957, with 11,603 boys.
2025 had more boys named Peter than any year since 2009.
Half of all the boys named Peter in the US since 1880 were born between 1946 and 1981, the years shaded on the chart below.
Peter in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,954 | #187 |
| 2024 | 1,899 | #192 |
| 2023 | 1,750 | #210 |
| 2022 | 1,773 | #213 |
| 2021 | 1,785 | #215 |
| 2020 | 1,762 | #215 |
| 2019 | 1,821 | #212 |
| 2018 | 1,826 | #211 |
| 2017 | 1,793 | #213 |
| 2016 | 1,927 | #207 |
| 2015 | 1,939 | #205 |
| 2014 | 1,923 | #204 |
| 2013 | 1,854 | #206 |
| 2012 | 1,869 | #204 |
| 2011 | 1,838 | #197 |
| 2010 | 1,935 | #193 |
| 2009 | 2,009 | #190 |
| 2008 | 2,186 | #181 |
| 2007 | 2,340 | #177 |
| 2006 | 2,481 | #167 |
| 2005 | 2,555 | #161 |
| 2004 | 2,790 | #143 |
| 2003 | 2,804 | #146 |
| 2002 | 2,873 | #134 |
| 2001 | 2,950 | #133 |
| 2000 | 3,148 | #125 |
| 1999 | 3,439 | #105 |
| 1998 | 3,388 | #111 |
| 1997 | 3,829 | #102 |
| 1996 | 4,082 | #95 |
| 1995 | 4,112 | #89 |
| 1994 | 4,225 | #87 |
| 1993 | 4,538 | #82 |
| 1992 | 4,598 | #81 |
| 1991 | 4,959 | #77 |
| 1990 | 5,224 | #74 |
| 1989 | 5,411 | #66 |
| 1988 | 5,425 | #64 |
| 1987 | 5,553 | #64 |
| 1986 | 5,797 | #60 |
| 1985 | 5,671 | #60 |
| 1984 | 5,633 | #60 |
| 1983 | 5,482 | #59 |
| 1982 | 5,777 | #57 |
| 1981 | 5,997 | #55 |
| 1980 | 5,967 | #55 |
| 1979 | 6,079 | #53 |
| 1978 | 5,872 | #54 |
| 1977 | 5,821 | #55 |
| 1976 | 5,445 | #54 |
| 1975 | 5,698 | #54 |
| 1974 | 5,940 | #50 |
| 1973 | 5,913 | #52 |
| 1972 | 6,471 | #48 |
| 1971 | 7,025 | #47 |
| 1970 | 8,056 | #44 |
| 1969 | 7,832 | #43 |
| 1968 | 8,122 | #39 |
| 1967 | 8,311 | #39 |
| 1966 | 8,584 | #39 |
| 1965 | 9,395 | #39 |
| 1964 | 9,911 | #39 |
| 1963 | 9,614 | #40 |
| 1962 | 9,585 | #43 |
| 1961 | 10,349 | #42 |
| 1960 | 10,715 | #42 |
| 1959 | 11,289 | #40 |
| 1958 | 10,757 | #41 |
| 1957 | 11,603 | #37 |
| 1956 | 11,334 | #37 |
| 1955 | 11,003 | #35 |
| 1954 | 10,085 | #37 |
| 1953 | 9,729 | #38 |
| 1952 | 9,586 | #36 |
| 1951 | 8,999 | #38 |
| 1950 | 8,362 | #37 |
| 1949 | 8,266 | #38 |
| 1948 | 8,048 | #37 |
| 1947 | 8,590 | #36 |
| 1946 | 7,483 | #38 |
| 1945 | 6,483 | #38 |
| 1944 | 6,340 | #40 |
| 1943 | 6,877 | #39 |
| 1942 | 6,587 | #39 |
| 1941 | 5,607 | #44 |
| 1940 | 5,049 | #43 |
| 1939 | 4,639 | #46 |
| 1938 | 4,293 | #48 |
| 1937 | 3,809 | #52 |
| 1936 | 3,714 | #56 |
| 1935 | 3,422 | #59 |
| 1934 | 3,290 | #61 |
| 1933 | 3,137 | #60 |
| 1932 | 3,130 | #62 |
| 1931 | 3,122 | #61 |
| 1930 | 3,266 | #56 |
| 1929 | 3,216 | #55 |
| 1928 | 3,299 | #56 |
| 1927 | 3,301 | #59 |
| 1926 | 3,358 | #58 |
| 1925 | 3,373 | #60 |
| 1924 | 3,520 | #59 |
| 1923 | 3,409 | #58 |
| 1922 | 3,545 | #57 |
| 1921 | 3,548 | #57 |
| 1920 | 3,497 | #57 |
| 1919 | 3,375 | #57 |
| 1918 | 3,711 | #53 |
| 1917 | 3,464 | #50 |
| 1916 | 3,370 | #50 |
| 1915 | 3,302 | #48 |
| 1914 | 2,624 | #48 |
| 1913 | 1,934 | #51 |
| 1912 | 1,679 | #48 |
| 1911 | 845 | #50 |
| 1910 | 631 | #56 |
| 1909 | 539 | #56 |
| 1908 | 541 | #53 |
| 1907 | 473 | #61 |
| 1906 | 427 | #59 |
| 1905 | 409 | #62 |
| 1904 | 395 | #62 |
| 1903 | 372 | #58 |
| 1902 | 433 | #51 |
| 1901 | 343 | #56 |
| 1900 | 443 | #58 |
| 1899 | 354 | #53 |
| 1898 | 409 | #54 |
| 1897 | 397 | #51 |
| 1896 | 402 | #52 |
| 1895 | 412 | #53 |
| 1894 | 391 | #55 |
| 1893 | 392 | #53 |
| 1892 | 465 | #45 |
| 1891 | 396 | #45 |
| 1890 | 410 | #43 |
| 1889 | 425 | #45 |
| 1888 | 498 | #41 |
| 1887 | 421 | #43 |
| 1886 | 437 | #42 |
| 1885 | 516 | #33 |
| 1884 | 524 | #34 |
| 1883 | 450 | #36 |
| 1882 | 461 | #36 |
| 1881 | 428 | #37 |
| 1880 | 496 | #31 |
Nicknames for Peter
Names like Peter
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Patrick, Thomas, Robert, Christopher, William, Joseph, James, Michael, David, John, Charles, Andrew
Names related to Peter
More Greek names
Luca, Theodore, Sophia, George, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Alexander, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Luke, Chloe, Sophie, Zoe
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Peter: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/peter, updated 20 October 2026.