Boys' name · since 1880
Peter
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 589,588 babies named Peter, peaking in 1957. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #56 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #187 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 589,588
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Peter currently ranks #187 among boys' names in America, with 589,588 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Peter has been recorded 589,588 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #187 nationally and more common than 99% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #56 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #187 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 589,588 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Peter ranks #56 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #187 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 589,588 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #56 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #187 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 589,588
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Peter's 589,588 recorded births place it above 99.87% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Peter compares
589,588 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 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
Peter's all-time total is 1,598x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Peter | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 589,588 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 11,603 | 34 | 22,252 |
Peter's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Peter splits its recorded history at 1953: 65% of all births land in the more recent half, 35% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1901 (343 births) -- compare that against the 1957 peak of 11,603 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Peter popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1957)
- 11,603
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Peter popularity over time - girls
1,943 total births recorded since 1887 (Peter as girls' name)
Peter by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (102,747 births, 17% of the file).
1950s was Peter's strongest decade.
102,747 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Peter births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 4,656
1880s
4,656 births
- 1890s 4,028
1890s
4,028 births
- 1900s 4,375
1900s
4,375 births
- 1910s 24,935
1910s
24,935 births
- 1920s 34,066
1920s
34,066 births
- 1930s 35,822
1930s
35,822 births
- 1940s
1940s
69,330 births
- 1950s
1950s
102,747 births
- 1960s
1960s
92,418 births
- 1970s
1970s
62,320 births
- 1980s
1980s
56,713 births
- 1990s
1990s
42,394 births
- 2000s 26,136
2000s
26,136 births
- 2010s 18,725
2010s
18,725 births
- 2020s 10,923
2020s
10,923 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 102,747 births (17% of all-time use).
How Peter 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 Peter's total volume
Peter by state
Where Peter concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 117,080 | 19.9% |
| #2 | California | | 50,522 | 8.6% |
| #3 | Massachusetts | | 44,732 | 7.6% |
| #4 | New Jersey | | 37,499 | 6.4% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 37,194 | 6.3% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 34,056 | 5.8% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 22,137 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Connecticut | | 21,148 | 3.6% |
117,080 of 589,588 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Peter appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Peter? ▼
Where does Peter sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Peter most popular? ▼
Where is Peter most popular? ▼
How long has the name Peter been used? ▼
What names are similar to Peter? ▼
What to do with Peter's data
- Peter's decade-level peak was the 1950s (102,747 total births); usage has since declined to 10,923 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Peters (117,080 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Peter
Nearby Names Like Peter
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Peter
Compare Peter side by side: Peter vs Pete Peter vs Peterson Peter vs Petros
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Peter
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Peter: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1957)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 Peter 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 August 2026.