Baby Name Popularity Profile
Peter
Data-driven SSA statistics, rankings, and historical trends for Peter.
National Rank (2025)
#187
All-Time Peak Rank
#31
Achieved 1880
Total U.S. Births
589,588
since 1880
Unisex Distribution
100.0% Boy / 0.0% Girl
Male Archetype
First Recorded
1880
Data through: 2025
Peak Decade
1950s
11,603 births in 1957
π‘ The Peter Vibe: Considered a Perennial Favorite. A historic staple that has maintained dominant national popularity for over half a century.
π Meaning & Etymology
Primary Meaning
Rock
Language Origin
Greek
Origin Type
single
Derived from the Greek name Petros, meaning 'stone' or 'rock'.
Common Nicknames
Pete
Petey
Alternative Spellings
Pieter
Piotr
Pedro
Pierre
Pronunciation:
PEE-ter
Etymology confidence:
High
π Popularity Over Time (1880 β 2025)
Annual registration volume (number of births) for Peter across 146 years of SSA data.
Historical Timeline (1880 - 2025)
Recent Decade (2015 - 2025)
5-Year Trend (2020β2025)
+10.9%
10-Year Trend (2015β2025)
+0.8%
2015
2020
2025
π Popularity Milestones
Busiest Year on Record
11,603
births in 1957
Years in Top 100
117 yrs
Years in Top 500
146 yrs
Longest Streak
146 yrs
Decade-by-Decade Registration Volumes
1880s: 4,656
1890s: 4,028
1900s: 4,375
1910s: 24,935
1920s: 34,066
1930s: 35,822
1940s: 69,330
1950s: 102,747
1960s: 92,418
1970s: 62,320
1980s: 56,713
1990s: 42,394
2000s: 26,136
2010s: 18,725
2020s: 10,923
π Sound & Spelling Structure
Phonetic Syllables
Pet-er
Letter Count
5 letters
Spelling Complexity
Moderate
Length Percentile
Longer than 7.7% of names
Linguistic Profile: Longer than 7.7% of SSA names. Starts with P, a letter used by only 1.6% of SSA names.
π¨βπ©βπ§ Sibling Name Suggestions
π Authentic State & Regional Rankings
Highest Ranking State
Connecticut
Top States
Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont
States with Data
51
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