NamesBoyP › Peter
Boy name

Peter

/ˈpitɚ/ · 100% boys · #187 in the US for boys, 2025

Peter has been given to about 591,531 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1957, which makes it a midcentury name.

Meaning
Origin
Syllables2
Pronunciation/ˈpitɚ/
Nicknames
Living in the US≈ 425,872
Median age today58 years

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Peter per year · SSA, ONS, NRS, CSO, INSEE and SSB
18802025
United StatesEngland & WalesScotlandIrelandFranceNorwayeach scaled to its own peak
  • Peak year1957 · 11,628
  • Born in 20251,954
  • All time591,531
  • England & Wales, 2025#288 · 158

How popular is Peter?

Peter ranks 187th among American boys in 2025, with 1,954 born that year. Its best year was 1957, when 11,628 babies were given the name, ranking 37th. The typical living American called Peter is about 58 years old today. It is relatively most common in District of Columbia, where it accounts for 0.35% of births.

Names that sound like Peter

Phonetic similarity, 0–1
  1. Lester0.75
  2. Pete0.75
  3. Dexter0.70
  4. Spencer0.68
  5. Chester0.68
  6. Ever0.70
  7. Meyer0.70
  8. Porter0.68

Middle names for Peter

Ranked by flow score
  1. Peter John0.77
  2. Peter Blake0.76
  3. Peter Wade0.76
  4. Peter Quinn0.76
  5. Peter Jude0.76
  6. Peter Lane0.76

Sibling names for Peter

Same era, comparable use, no clash
  1. Leslieeither · 0.96
  2. Martinbrother · 0.96
  3. Russellbrother · 0.96
  4. Kathrynsister · 0.96
  5. Stephenbrother · 0.95
  6. Jacquelinesister · 0.95

Where Peter is strongest

Share of 2025 births by state
  1. District of Columbia0.35%
  2. Vermont0.27%
  3. Wyoming0.26%
  4. Alaska0.25%
  5. Maine0.19%

With a common surname

Flow score against the most-used American surnames · try your own
  1. Peter Anderson0.77
  2. Peter White0.72
  3. Peter Nguyen0.72
  4. Peter Moore0.72
  5. Peter Hill0.72
  6. Peter Hall0.72

How to read these numbers

Every score on this page is explained
  1. Phonetic similarity0–1
  2. Middle-name flow0–1
  3. Sibling fit0–1
  4. Living population estimatemethod
  5. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Sources for Peter

Every figure on this page is public record
  1. United States1880–2025
  2. England & Wales1996–2025
  3. Scotland1974–2020
  4. Ireland1998–2019
  5. France1900–2025
  6. Norway1945–2025
  7. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Peter across America

Share of 2025 births in each state. Darker means more common.
ME
WA
VT
NH
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
CA
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
DC
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
SC
AK
TX
GA
FL
HI
raremost common

Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.