Peter
Meaning: Its source is Petros, a Greek name meaning "Rock."
In Hungarian, this name is spelled with an accent -- Péter.
Languages: This boy's name is used in German, Dutch, English, Hungarian, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish.
Nicknames: Pete
Compound Forms: Frank-Peter
Non-English Forms: Peder, Pedro, Per, Petar, Piero, Pierre, Pieter, Piotr, Par, Pekka, Petr, Petre, Piet, Pietro, Pyotr and Boutros
Source Forms: Petros
Popularity: The name Peter ranked 136th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 43rd in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
This name was popular earlier in the 20th century, then fell off in usage, but has begun making a comeback in recent years.
Narrative: Petros, the source of Peter, was a Greek translation of Cephus the Aramaic nickname of one of Jesus' disciples. It was used to distinguish him from another disciple also named Simon, who was known as ''The Zealot.''
Simon the Rock became one of the founders of the Christian religion and, according to Roman Catholic tradition, the first Pope. These achievements, along with Jesus' pun on his name -- ''Upon this Rock I will build my church'' -- assured the evolution of this nickname into a primary name form.
Arts and Music
- Peter Arno (born 1904, died 1968)
American cartoonist.
- New Yorker cartoonist (see list of Cartoonists)
- Peter Behrens (born 1868, died 1940)
German architect and designer.
- Known for his industrial designs (see list of Miscellaneous Architects)
- Peter Blankenfield
- Peter Wolf (see list of Nicknames of Musicians)
- Peter Criss
- Real name: Peter Crisscola (see list of Stage names of members of Kiss)
- Peter Crisscola
American musician.
- Stage name: Peter Criss (see list of Real names of members of Kiss)
- Peter Henry Emerson (born 1856, died 1936)
English photographer who was an early proponent of photography as an art form.
- A member of the International Photography Hall of Fame (see list of International Photography Hall of Fame)
- Peter Gabriel (born 1950)
English musician, singer and songwriter.
- Musical guest on ''''Saturday Night Live'''' (see list of Musical Guests on ''Saturday Night Live'')
- 1987 MTV Networks award for best video by a male artist, for ''''Sledgehammer'''' (see list of Winners of MTV Video Music Awards)
- Wrote ''''Sledgehammer'''' and ''''Shock the Monkey'''' (see list of Songwriters)
- Peter Paul Rubens (born 1577, died 1640)
Flemish Baroque painter.
- Known for his dramatic lighting and full-bodied, sensuous nudes (see list of Renaissance Artists)
- Peter Tosh (born 1944, died 1987)
Jamaican reggae musician, singer and songwriter.
- Musical guest on ''''Saturday Night Live'''' (see list of Musical Guests on ''Saturday Night Live'')
- Peter Wolf (born 1951)
American singer. Original name: Peter Blankenfield.
- Musical guest on ''''Saturday Night Live'''' (see list of Musical Guests on ''Saturday Night Live'')
Leadership
- Peter I. Bijur
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Texaco (see list of 2000 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Texaco (see list of 1999 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- CEO of Fortune 500 company TEXACO (see list of 1997 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Texaco (see list of 1998 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- A. Peter Burleigh
- Charge and Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations 1998- (see list of U.S. Representatives to the United Nations)
- Peter V. Daniel
American jurist.
- U.S. Supreme Court justice, 1841-60 (see list of U.S. Supreme Court Justices)
- Peter N. Larsen
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Brunswick (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Peter B. Lewis
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Progressive (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Peter
Roman Catholic leader.
- Pope, 32-67 (see list of Religious Leaders)
- St. Peter
Galilean fisherman who was one of Jesus' first disciples.
- Leader of the apostles and, in Roman Catholic tradition, the first Pope (see list of Religious Leaders)
Miscellaneous
- Peter Birney (born 1984)
- Twin son of Meredith Baxter and David Birney (see list of Famous Twins and Triplets)
- Peter Buck
A member of the band R.E.M.
- 1996 gross earnings for R.E.M.: $20 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- Peter Crisscola
American musician.
- 1996 gross earnings for Kiss: $27 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- Peter French
- National Cowboy Hall of Fame (see list of National Cowboy Hall of Fame)
- Peter Pauly
- National Cowboy Hall of Fame (see list of National Cowboy Hall of Fame)
- Peter
- Hurricane or tropical storm (see list of Hurricane and Tropical Storm Names)
- St. Peter
Galilean fisherman who was one of Jesus' first disciples.
- Appears in the Gospels and Acts (see list of Biblical Names from the New Testament)
- Blue Peter
- Variety of rose (see list of Rose Names)
- Peter Ueberroth (born 1937)
American commissioner of baseball and organizer of the 1984 Olympic Games.
- 1984 Time Magazine Man of the Year (see list of Time Magazine's Man of the Year Honorees)
Science and Philosophy
- Peter C. Doherty (born 1940)
Australian immunologist known for his studies of how the immune system recognizes infected cells.
- 1996 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology/Medicine, with Rolf M. Zinkernagel (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Peter Carl Goldmark (born 1906, died 1977)
Hungarian-born American engineer who developed color television and the LP (long-playing) record.
- 1976 National Medal of Science winner (see list of National Medal of Science Winners)
- Peter Goldreich
- 1995 National Medal of Science winner (see list of National Medal of Science Winners)
- Peter D. Lax
- 1986 National Medal of Science winner (see list of National Medal of Science Winners)
- Peter B. Medawar (born 1915, died 1987)
British biologist noted for his studies on the development of the immune response.
- 1960 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology/Medicine (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Peter Mitchell
British scientist known for his contribution to the understanding of biological energy transfer.
- 1978 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- Peter J.K. ''Jeff'' Wisoff (born 1958)
American astronaut and physicist.
- Astronaut on Endeavour (1993, 1994), Atlantis (1997) (see list of Spaceflight Veterans)
Sports
- Peter Angerer
German athlete.
- 1984 Olympic Nordic skiing gold medal winner for 20k Biathlon (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Cross-country Skiing)
- Peter DePaolo
Race-car driver.
- 1925 Indianapolis 500 winner (see list of Indianapolis 500 Winners)
- Peter Forsberg
Hockey player.
- 1995 Calder Memorial Trophy winner (see list of Calder Memorial Trophy Winners)
- Peter Frenkel
German athlete.
- 1972 Olympic track and field gold medal winner for 20km Walk (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Miscellaneous Track Events)
- Peter George
American athlete.
- 1952 Olympic weightlifting gold medal winner for 75kg (see list of Olympic gold medalists in weightlifting)
- Peter Gregg
- Member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame for Sports Cars (see list of Members of the Motorsports Hall of Fame)
- Peter Jackson
- Member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame (see list of Old Timer inductees)
- Peter Mueller
American athlete.
- 1976 Olympic speed skating gold medal winner for 1000m (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Speed Skating)
- Peter Prestrud
Skier.
- Elected to the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame in 1978 (see list of Members of the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame)
- Peter Revson
Race-car driver.
- Member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame for Sports Cars (see list of Members of the Motorsports Hall of Fame)
- Peter Rono
Kenyan athlete.
- 1988 Olympic track and field gold medal winner for 1500m (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Miscellaneous Track Events)
- Peter Seibert
Skier.
- Elected to the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame in 1980 (see list of Members of the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame)
- Peter Snell
New Zealand athlete.
- 1960 and 1964 Olympic track and field gold medal winner for 800m (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in the 800m Run)
- 1964 Olympic track and field gold medal winner for 1500m (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Miscellaneous Track Events)
- Peter Stastny
Hockey player.
- 1981 Calder Memorial Trophy winner (see list of Calder Memorial Trophy Winners)
- Peter Thompson
- 1954-56, 1958, 1965 British Open golf champion (see list of British Open Golf Champions)
- Peter Trivoulidas
Greek runner.
- 1920 Boston Marathon champion (see list of Boston Marathon Winners)
- Peter Ueberroth (born 1937)
American commissioner of baseball and organizer of the 1984 Olympic Games.
- 1984 Sporting News Man of the Year (see list of Winners of the Sporting News Man of the Year Award)
- Peter Vidmar
American athlete.
- 1984 Olympic gymnastics gold medal winner for Pommel Horse (see list of Gold Medalists in Individual Gymnastics Events)
- Peter Vuckovich
Baseball player.
- 1982 American League Cy Young Award winner (see list of American League winners of the Cy Young Award)
Stage and Screen
- Dr. Peter Benton
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Eriq La Salle (see list of Characters on ''ER'')
- Peter Bergman (born 1953)
Cuban-American actor.
- Actor on soap opera ''''The Young and the Restless''''. (see list of Performers on ''The Young and the Restless'')
- Peter Blake
Fictional character.
- Character on the soap opera ''''Days of Our Lives'''' (see list of Characters on ''Days of Our Lives'')
- Peter Brady
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Christopher Knight (see list of Characters on ''The Brady Bunch'')
- Peter Burns
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Jack Wagner (see list of Characters on ''Melrose Place'')
- Peter Campbell
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Robert Urich (see list of Characters on ''Soap'')
- Peter Donat
Actor.
- Portrays Bill Mulder (see list of Actors on ''The X-Files'')
- Peter Finch (born 1916, died 1977)
English actor. Original name: William Mitchell.
- 1976 Academy Award winner for his performance in Network (see list of Oscar Winners for Best Actor)
- Peter Fox
- Portrayed Rev. Hank Buchanan from 1977-78 (see list of Actors on ''The Waltons'')
- Peter Frampton (born 1950)
English-born American singer and songwriter.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording (see list of Recording Personalites with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Peter Hunt
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Scott Bakula (see list of Characters on ''Murphy Brown'')
- Peter Jurasik
Actor.
- Portrayed Sidney Thurston (see list of Actors on ''Hill Street Blues'')
- Peter Lawford (born 1923, died 1984)
English actor.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television (see list of Television Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Peter Lorre (born 1904, died 1964)
Hungarian-born American actor known for his villainous roles. Original name: Laszlo Loewenstein.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Peter Mullan
- Winner of the 1998 Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award for My name Is Joe (see list of Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Winners)
- Cpl. Peter Newkirk
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Richard Dawson (see list of Characters on ''Hogan's Heroes'')
- Peter Parros
- Actor on soap opera ''''One Life to Live'''' (see list of Performers on ''One Life to Live'')
- Peter
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Sam Waterston (see list of Characters in the film September)
- Peter Phelps (born 1960)
Australian actor.
- Portrayed Trevor Cole from 1989-1990 (see list of Actors on ''Baywatch'')
- Peter Reckell (born 1955)
American actor.
- Actor on soap opera ''''Days of Our Lives'''' (see list of Performers on ''Days of Our Lives'')
- Peter Sellers (born 1925, died 1980)
British actor, writer, editor, director and producer.
- On Hollywood''s Footprints of Fame (see list of Celebrities Honored by Mann's Chinese Theater)
- Peter Simon
Actor and producer.
- Actor on soap opera ''''Guiding Light'''' (see list of Performers on ''Guiding Light'')
- Peter Styles
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Bruce Jay Friedman (see list of Characters in the film Husbands and Wives)
- Peter Ustinov (born 1921)
English actor, writer, director and producer.
- Two-time Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor: 1960, for Spartacus; 1964, for Tokapi (see list of Oscar Winners for Best Supporting Actor)
The Literary World
- Peter Arnett
- 1966 Pulitzer Prize winner for International Reporting (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting)
- Peter Benchley (born 1940)
American novelist.
- Wrote Jaws (see list of Prose Writers of the 20th Century)
- Peter Goldsmith
Fictional character.
- Fran''s father in Stephen King''s novel The Stand; the same name is given to Fran''s son (see list of Characters in The Stand)
- Peter Gordon
Fictional character.
- A sixth-grade boy in Stephen King''s It (see list of Characters in It)
- Peter Gorner
- 1987 Pulitzer Prize winner for Explanatory Journalism (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism)
- Peter R. Kann
- 1972 Pulitzer Prize winner for International Reporting (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting)
- Peter Morton
Fictional character.
- The assistant principal at Ewen High School in Stephen King''s novel Carrie (see list of Characters in Carrie)
- Peter Orlovsky (born 1933)
American poet.
- Wrote ''''Dick Tracy''s Yellow Hat'''' and ''''Letter to Charlie Chaplin'''' (see list of Writers of the Beat Generation)
- Peter
Fictional character.
- Roland''s elder son in Stephen King''s novel The Eyes of the Dragon (see list of Characters in The Eyes of the Dragon)
- Peter
- Characters with this name appear in Henry VI, King John, Romeo and Juliet and Measure for Measure (see list of Shakespearean Characters)
- Peter Straub
- Author of the 1984 best-selling novel The Talisman (see list of Bestselling Fiction Authors in the U.S.)
- Peter Taylor (born 1917, died 1994)
American novelist.
- 1987 Pulitzer Prize winner for Fiction, for A Summons to Memphis (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
- Peter Viereck (born 1916)
American poet.
- 1949 Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry, for Terror and Decorum (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry)
- Peter De Vries (born 1910)
American novelist.
- Wrote Slouching Towards Kalamazoo (see list of Prose Writers of the 20th Century)
- Lord Peter Wimsey
Fictional detective.
- Created by author Dorothy L. Sayers (see list of Fictional Detectives)
Teasing Nicknames:
- Petri dish
- Peter Cottontail
-
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater
Used in reference to a popular children's nursery rhyme.
- Petey Boy
- Re-Pete
- Pete Moss
- Peter Poo
- Beat her
- Pee her
- Peter-bilt
Associations:
To ''peter out'' means to run out of energy.
The exclamation ''For Pete's sake!'' means ''Good grief!''
A ''Peter Jay'' is a police officer.
''Peter-man'' is a British slang term for a safecracker.
''Sneaky Pete'' is an African-American slang term for cheap liquor.
Meaning: Its source is Petros, a Greek name meaning "Rock."
Popularity: The name Peter ranked 4031st in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.
This name is usually reserved for boys. In part, it could owe its position on the US Census popularity list to incorrectly filled-out census forms.
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