Peter
What does the name Peter mean?
The meaning of the name “Peter” is: “A stone or rock”.
Additional information: This name was originally derived from the Greek word πέτρα for “stone”. It has shown up in many different civilizations around the world, but one of the most well-known Peters in history is Simon Peter, a disciple of Jesus. Peter's original name was Simon, but it was changed by Jesus to the Aramaic name Cephas (rock). Peter is the Greek equivalent of Cephas. The first Russian emperor was Peter the Great, he attempted to 'westernize' Russia, and built St Petersburg as an alternative capital to Moscow.
Variations of the name Peter include Piers, Petrus, Pieter, Peder, and Petter. These names are generally used in non-English speaking countries. Sometimes a feminine form of the name is used, such as Petra, Petrina, or Peta. Short forms of the name include Pete, Piet, Per, or Pelle.
The popularity of the name Peter shows a huge spike in recorded history in the early and mid-1990s, but it took a downward trend after its peak to reach an all-time low in 2014 in many countries. Peter was most popular in Switzerland between 1954 and 1961 when it was ranked as the most popular male name. It was in the top 5 in Switzerland for even longer, between 1936 and 1968. In the US, it was within the top 100 names between 1880 and 1996, but it became less popular afterwards, reaching a low point at 204th most popular in 2014. In 2014 it was ranked as the 15th most popular name in Hungary, the 77th most popular in Ireland, the 90th most popular in Northern Ireland, and the 152nd most popular in England and Wales.
Some celebrities and famous people that have shared the name Peter include Peter Dinklage, an actor; Peter Capaldi, an actor; Peter Jackson, a movie director; Peter Kay, a comedian; Peter Crouch, a soccer player; Peter Criss, a drummer; Peter Schmeichel, a soccer player; Peter Gabriel, a rock singer; Peter Frampton, a guitarist; and Peter Quillin, a professional boxer. 'Peter Pan' was a play by JM Barrie about a boy who 'wouldn't grow up'.
The name Peter is used by William Shakespeare in his plays "Winter's Tale","Romeo & Juliet", "Taming of the Shrew", "King John", "Henry IV (Part I)", "Henry IV (Part II)", "Henry VI (Part II)", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "The Merry Wives of Windsor" for several characters like Peter of Pomfret, Peter Bullcalf, Peter Quince, Peter Simple, Peter Thump.
Variations of the name Peter include Piers, Petrus, Pieter, Peder, and Petter. These names are generally used in non-English speaking countries. Sometimes a feminine form of the name is used, such as Petra, Petrina, or Peta. Short forms of the name include Pete, Piet, Per, or Pelle.
The popularity of the name Peter shows a huge spike in recorded history in the early and mid-1990s, but it took a downward trend after its peak to reach an all-time low in 2014 in many countries. Peter was most popular in Switzerland between 1954 and 1961 when it was ranked as the most popular male name. It was in the top 5 in Switzerland for even longer, between 1936 and 1968. In the US, it was within the top 100 names between 1880 and 1996, but it became less popular afterwards, reaching a low point at 204th most popular in 2014. In 2014 it was ranked as the 15th most popular name in Hungary, the 77th most popular in Ireland, the 90th most popular in Northern Ireland, and the 152nd most popular in England and Wales.
Some celebrities and famous people that have shared the name Peter include Peter Dinklage, an actor; Peter Capaldi, an actor; Peter Jackson, a movie director; Peter Kay, a comedian; Peter Crouch, a soccer player; Peter Criss, a drummer; Peter Schmeichel, a soccer player; Peter Gabriel, a rock singer; Peter Frampton, a guitarist; and Peter Quillin, a professional boxer. 'Peter Pan' was a play by JM Barrie about a boy who 'wouldn't grow up'.
The name Peter is used by William Shakespeare in his plays "Winter's Tale","Romeo & Juliet", "Taming of the Shrew", "King John", "Henry IV (Part I)", "Henry IV (Part II)", "Henry VI (Part II)", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "The Merry Wives of Windsor" for several characters like Peter of Pomfret, Peter Bullcalf, Peter Quince, Peter Simple, Peter Thump.
Categories: American Names, Australian Names, Biblical Names, British Names, Canadian Names, Christian Names, Classic Names, Dutch Names, English Names, German Names, Greek Names, Hebrew Names, Hungarian Names, Latin Names, Literary Characters Names, Saints Names, Shakespeare Names, Slovenian Names, Twilight Names
Used in: Dutch speaking countries, English speaking countries, German speaking countries, Hungarian speaking countries
Gender: Boy Names
Origins: Greek
Starts with: P
