Total births
43,530
Boys' name · since 1880
Pete
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 43,530 babies named Pete, peaking in 1959. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #3045
- among boys today
- 43,530
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 79%
- more common than other boys
Pete currently ranks #3045 among boys' names in America, with 43,530 babies recorded since 1880.
Pete has 43,530 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3045 as of the latest data, more common than 79% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #3045 among boys today
- 43,530 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 79% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Pete is currently the #3045 boys' name in America, more common than 79% of boys - 43,530 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #3045
- among boys today
- 43,530
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 79%
- more common than other boys
Pete vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#3045
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 79% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
14% of everyone ever named Pete was born in this single decade.
1959
Single peak year
767 babies were named Pete in 1959 - its busiest year on record.
How Pete compares
43,530 Top 4% higher than 96% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Pete's all-time total is 119x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Pete | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 43,530 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 767 | 23 | 22,252 |
Pete's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Pete's full recorded timeline at 1953, 40% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 60% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2024, with just 40 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1959 peak of 767 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Pete at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1959
Current rank
#3,045
Active since
1880
Pete popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1959)
- 767
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Pete popularity over time - girls
170 total births recorded since 1916 (Pete as girls' name)
Pete by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Pete's strongest decade.
6,285 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
Pete births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 590
1880s
590 births
- 1890s 651
1890s
651 births
- 1900s 949
1900s
949 births
- 1910s
1910s
4,352 births
- 1920s
1920s
6,285 births
- 1930s
1930s
5,529 births
- 1940s
1940s
6,130 births
- 1950s
1950s
5,926 births
- 1960s
1960s
5,153 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,854 births
- 1980s 1,964
1980s
1,964 births
- 1990s 1,339
1990s
1,339 births
- 2000s 893
2000s
893 births
- 2010s 599
2010s
599 births
- 2020s 316
2020s
316 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 6,285 births (14% of all-time use).
How Pete compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Pete's total volume
Pete vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Pete by state
Where Pete concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 7,620 | 17.5% |
| #2 | California | | 5,696 | 13.1% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 2,453 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 1,694 | 3.9% |
| #5 | New Mexico | | 1,620 | 3.7% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 1,466 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Colorado | | 1,365 | 3.1% |
| #8 | New York | | 1,308 | 3.0% |
Texas share of Pete's total US births 17.5%
Even split
7,620 of 43,530 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.
Pete appears in 45 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Pete? ▼
43,530 babies have been named Pete since 1880. It currently ranks #3045 among boys. The peak year was 1959 with 767 births.
When was Pete most popular? ▼
Pete was most popular in the 1920s decade with 6,285 total births. The single peak year was 1959.
Where is Pete most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Pete are Texas (7,620 births), California (5,696 births), Pennsylvania (2,453 births).
How long has the name Pete been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Pete since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Pete? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Peter, Peterson, Petros, Petar, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Pete's data
- Pete's decade-level peak was the 1920s (6,285 total births); usage has since declined to 316 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Petes (7,620 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Pete
Nearby Names Like Pete
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Pete
Peter Boy
#192 589,588 births
Peterson Boy
#8429 819 births
Petros Boy
#5723 715 births
Petar Boy
#6260 641 births
Petro Boy
160 births
Compare Pete side by side: Pete vs Peter Pete vs Peterson Pete vs Petros
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Pete
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Pete: #3045 Boys' Name - 43,530 Births, Peak 1959." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/pete. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Pete draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.