Boys' name · peaked in 1957
Peter name popularity since 1925
535,804 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Peter. Half of them were born in 1964 or earlier, so the typical Peter is about 62 years old in 2026. Peter peaked in 1957 as the #37 name for boys, and it ranked #187 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 535,804
- Named Peter, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #187
- for boys in 2025 (1,954 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% boys
- 1,729 girls · 534,075 boys
- Most popular in
- Connecticut
- 3.32× its national share
Peak year is the year Peter made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Peter births per year, 1925–2025
1957 was the biggest year for Peter both by count and as a share of all babies.
Decade by decade
Babies named Peter in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 112 | 16,547 | – |
| 1930s | 158 | 35,822 | #59 |
| 1940s | 183 | 69,330 | #38 |
| 1950s | 184 | 102,747 | #35 |
| 1960s | 268 | 92,418 | #39 |
| 1970s | 329 | 62,320 | #54 |
| 1980s | 358 | 56,713 | #60 |
| 1990s | 107 | 42,394 | #89 |
| 2000s | 24 | 26,136 | #161 |
| 2010s | 0 | 18,725 | #205 |
| 2020–25 | 6 | 10,923 | #187 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
34.7% of babies named Peter from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where Peter is most popular
The index compares Peter's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Peter.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 3.32× | 19,435 |
| Massachusetts | 3.26× | 41,809 |
| Rhode Island | 3.22× | 6,159 |
| Vermont | 2.95× | 2,660 |
| New Hampshire | 2.88× | 4,897 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Peter's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Peter.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Peter (1957).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data