Peter
Greek petros, “stone,” Jesus’s renaming of Simon.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Peter appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1880 to 1996. Its biggest year was 1957, when 11,603 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 37 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1880, at No. 31. In 2025 it ranked No. 187 for boys. All told, 591,531 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Petar (641) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Jesus
Explore Peter interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,656 | No. 31 |
| 1890s | 4,028 | No. 43 |
| 1900s | 4,375 | No. 51 |
| 1910s | 24,935 | No. 48 |
| 1920s | 34,066 | No. 55 |
| 1930s | 35,822 | No. 46 |
| 1940s | 69,330 | No. 36 |
| 1950s | 102,747 | No. 35 |
| 1960s | 92,418 | No. 39 |
| 1970s | 62,320 | No. 44 |
| 1980s | 56,713 | No. 55 |
| 1990s | 42,394 | No. 74 |
| 2000s | 26,136 | No. 125 |
| 2010s | 18,725 | No. 193 |
| 2020s | 10,923 | No. 187 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.