How Many People Are Named Peterson?
An estimated 774 people in the United States have the first name Peterson. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 32 years old, and Peterson peaked in popularity in 1989 with 28 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Peterson 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 Peterson paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
774
About 1 in 442,835 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
100.0% confidence
Average Age
32
years old
Peak Year
1989
28 births
Total Registered
810
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Peterson
Peterson is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 810 total births registered, 100.0% were male.
Peterson as a male name
Ranked #8,772 in 2024
9 male births in 2024
Peak: 1989 (28 births)
Peterson: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Peterson span from the 1950s to the 2020s, covering 8 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1980s, when 178 babies were registered. Peterson has declined significantly from its peak in the 1980s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Peterson by Decade
How has Peterson 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.
Peterson by State
Birth registrations for Peterson span all 3 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Florida, New York, California. The lowest are in California, New York, Florida. On average, about 65 Petersons were registered per state.
Peterson + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Peterson as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Peterson
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
Peterson: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Peterson?
We estimate approximately 774 people named Peterson 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 442,835 Americans share this first name.
Is Peterson a common name?
Peterson is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 88.3% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 810 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Peterson most popular?
Peterson reached peak popularity in 1989, when 28 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Peterson is approximately 32 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Peterson a male name?
Peterson is predominantly male. 100.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Peterson Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Peterson Smith, Peterson Johnson, Peterson 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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