Peerless
Unequaled in quality or excellence; unrivaled; incomparable.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Peerless. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Peerless today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Peerless births was 1999 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Peerless. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Peerless. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1999
6 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
1999 SSA rank
#9,571
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Peerless: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Peerless by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Peerless during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Peerless
The name Peerless is an English word that means unequalled, matchless, or unrivaled. It is derived from the Middle English word 'peerles', which in turn came from the Old French words 'per' meaning equal and 'les' meaning without. The name emerged in the late 15th century and was likely used to describe someone or something that was considered without equal or superior to others.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Peerless can be found in the 16th century play 'The Faerie Queene' by Edmund Spenser. In the poem, Peerless is used as an epithet to describe the character of Una, who represents truth and virtue. The name was also used in the 17th century to refer to exceptional individuals, such as the English naval commander Peerless Rosemond, who served during the Anglo-Dutch Wars.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Peerless. One of the most famous was Peerless Price, an African American vaudeville performer and comedian who was active in the early 20th century. Born in 1899, he was known for his comedic routines and impersonations, and was a pioneering figure in the entertainment industry.
Another notable Peerless was Peerless McCray, an American football player who played in the National Football League (NFL) in the 1920s and 1930s. He was a talented running back and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1963. Peerless Woodford, born in 1845, was a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall.
In the 19th century, Peerless was also used as a name for ships and locomotives. One example is the Peerless, a steamship that was launched in 1837 and was used for passenger and cargo transportation between the United States and Europe. The Peerless was also the name of a famous racehorse that competed in the 1850s and won several prestigious races.
While the name Peerless is not as common today as it once was, it has a rich history and has been associated with individuals and entities that were considered exceptional or unparalleled in their respective fields. The name continues to evoke a sense of excellence and distinction.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Peerless
People
Peerless + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Peerless as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Peerless: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Peerless?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Peerless going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Peerless a common name?
We classify Peerless as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Peerless most popular?
The single biggest year for Peerless was 1999, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Peerless is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Peerless a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Peerless in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.