Girls' name · since 1881
Petra
Petra has 14,559 recorded births since 1881 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1927 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,308 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,368 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 14,559
- born since 1881
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Petra is the #1368 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 14,559 recorded since 1881.
Social Security Administration records show Petra recorded 14,559 times among girls since 1881, holding rank #1368 nationally today, ahead of 92% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.
- #1,308 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,368 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 14,559 born since 1881
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Petra ranks #1,308 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,368 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 14,559 born since 1881, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,308 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,368 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 14,559
- born since 1881
- 1920s
- peak decade
Petra's 14,559 recorded births place it above 98.19% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
27 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Petra compares
14,559 Top 8% higher than 92% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Petra's all-time total is 39x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Petra | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 14,559 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 197 | 21 | 19,840 |
Petra's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Petra splits its recorded history at 1953: 57% of all births land in the more recent half, 43% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1882 (9 births) -- compare that against the 1927 peak of 197 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Petra popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025
- Peak year (1927)
- 197
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Petra popularity over time - boys
67 total births recorded since 1918 (Petra as boys' name)
Petra by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (1,791 births, 12% of the file).
1920s was Petra's strongest decade.
1,791 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 12% of all-time use.
Petra births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 136
1880s
136 births
- 1890s 257
1890s
257 births
- 1900s 407
1900s
407 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,007 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,791 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,309 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,060 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,059 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,260 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,165 births
- 1980s
1980s
883 births
- 1990s
1990s
823 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,046 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,433 births
- 2020s
2020s
923 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 1,791 births (12% of all-time use).
How Petra compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Petra's total volume
Petra by state
Where Petra concentrates geographically, total births since 1881
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 5,205 | 35.8% |
| #2 | California | | 2,082 | 14.3% |
| #3 | New York | | 627 | 4.3% |
| #4 | Arizona | | 317 | 2.2% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 272 | 1.9% |
| #6 | New Mexico | | 270 | 1.9% |
| #7 | Florida | | 201 | 1.4% |
| #8 | Washington | | 150 | 1.0% |
5,205 of 14,559 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 27 reporting states.
Petra appears in 27 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Petra? ▼
Where does Petra sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Petra most popular? ▼
Where is Petra most popular? ▼
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What to do with Petra's data
- Petra's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (1,791 total births) through the 2020s (923) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Petras (5,205 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Petra
Nearby Names Like Petra
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Petra
Compare Petra side by side: Petra vs Petrina Petra vs Peter Petra vs Petrona
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Petra
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Petra: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1927)
Similar record span (~144 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, 1881–2025 (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 Petra 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.