Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Peter?
Births per year, rank history and how many Peters are alive today.
Peter (male), once a common boys' name, is now an uncommon choice for new babies in England and Wales, ranked 287th in 2025 with 158 given the name. The name peaked in 1934, when around 18,500 babies were given the name, the 2nd most popular that year. It has declined since 1934; the 2025 figure is roughly 1% of its peak. Numbers have been falling in recent years. At least 810,000 babies have been named Peter in England and Wales since 1904. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
The Peter you are most likely to meet is around 79 years old. Half of all Peters born in England and Wales are between 57 and 80, and there are at least 460,000 of them alive today. If you walk into a room of 100 males, there's roughly a 78% chance that at least one of them will be called Peter.
How many babies are named Peter each year?
Where does Peter rank among boys' names?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
When was the name Peter most popular?
Peter peaked in 1934, when around 18,500 babies in England and Wales were given the name.
How many people are called Peter?
At least 460,000 people named Peter born in England and Wales are alive today.
How old is the typical Peter?
Most living Peters are between 57 and 80; the most common age is about 79.
Is Peter becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1934 peak.