How Many People Are Named Peter?
An estimated 410,601 people in the United States have the first name Peter. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #116 overall. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 53 years old, and Peter peaked in popularity in 1957 with 11,629 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Peter as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Peter paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Peter is overwhelmingly male, 1,943 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
410,601
About 1 in 835 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.7% confidence
Average Age
53
years old
Peak Year
1957
11,629 births
Total Registered
589,576
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Peter
Peter is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 589,576 total births registered, 99.7% were male.
Peter as a male name
Ranked #192 in 2024
1,889 male births in 2024
Peak: 1957 (11,604 births)
Peter as a female name
Ranked #14,879 in 2022
6 female births in 2022
Peak: 1980 (47 births)
Peter: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Peter span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 102,938 babies were registered. Peter has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Peter by Decade
How has Peter tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,662 | 4,656 | 6 | |
| 1890s | 4,034 | 4,028 | 6 | |
| 1900s | 4,382 | 4,376 | 6 | |
| 1910s | 25,039 | 24,935 | 104 | |
| 1920s | 34,272 | 34,068 | 204 | |
| 1930s | 35,979 | 35,821 | 158 | |
| 1940s | 69,511 | 69,328 | 183 | |
| 1950s | 102,938 | 102,754 | 184 | |
| 1960s | 92,679 | 92,411 | 268 | |
| 1970s | 62,659 | 62,330 | 329 | |
| 1980s | 57,083 | 56,725 | 358 | |
| 1990s | 42,500 | 42,393 | 107 | |
| 2000s | 26,155 | 26,131 | 24 | |
| 2010s | 18,719 | 18,719 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 8,964 | 8,958 | 6 | |
Peter by State
Birth registrations for Peter span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, California, Massachusetts. The lowest are in Wyoming, Arkansas, Nevada. On average, about 11,255 Peters were registered per state.
Peter + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Peter as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Peter
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
Peter: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Peter?
We estimate approximately 410,601 people named Peter are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 835 Americans share this first name.
Is Peter a common name?
Peter is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 589,576 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Peter most popular?
Peter reached peak popularity in 1957, when 11,629 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Peter is approximately 53 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Peter a male name?
Peter is predominantly male. 99.7% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Peter Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Peter Smith, Peter Johnson, Peter Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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