Petar
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "rock" or "stone".
Name Census estimates that about 609 living Americans carry the first name Petar. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Petar today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Petar births was 2006 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Petar. 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.
People living today
609
~ 1 in 562,815 Americans
Peak year
2006
21 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,373
Tracked since 1963
Popularity
Petar: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Petar from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 143 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Petar remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Petar 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 Petar during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Petars live
Origin
Meaning and history of Petar
The given name Petar has its origins in the Greek name Petros, which is derived from the word "petra" meaning "rock" or "stone". The name gained popularity after it was used for one of the apostles of Jesus Christ, who was known as Saint Peter.
The earliest recorded use of the name Petar dates back to the 1st century AD, when it was borne by the apostle Simon Peter, who is regarded as the first pope of the Catholic Church. Peter was a fisherman from Galilee who became one of the closest disciples of Jesus.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Petar. One of the most renowned was Petar II Petrović-Njegoš (1813-1851), a Montenegrin ruler, philosopher, and poet who is revered as the supreme literary representative of the Serbs. His literary works, including the epic poem "The Mountain Wreath", are considered masterpieces of Serbo-Croatian literature.
Another notable figure was Petar Krugović (1608-1670), a Serbian Orthodox Patriarch who played a crucial role in the Serbian national and cultural revival during the 17th century. His efforts helped preserve the Serbian Orthodox faith and cultural identity during a period of Ottoman rule.
In the realm of art, Petar Lubarda (1907-1974) was a renowned Serbian painter and one of the most significant artists of the 20th century in the former Yugoslavia. His works, which often depicted scenes from everyday life, are celebrated for their vibrant colors and expressive brushwork.
Petar Zrinski (1621-1671) was a Croatian ban (viceroy) and military leader who led an uprising against the Habsburg Monarchy in the 17th century. His rebellion, known as the Zrinski–Frankopan Conspiracy, aimed to secure Croatian independence but was ultimately suppressed.
Petar Hektorović (1487-1572) was a Croatian writer and poet from the Renaissance period. His work "Ribanje i ribarsko prigovaranje" (Fishing and Fishermen's Talk) is considered one of the most significant literary works of the Croatian Renaissance and a masterpiece of Chakavian Renaissance literature.
While the name Petar has its roots in Greek and has been popular in various cultures throughout history, it has been particularly widespread in Slavic countries, particularly in Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro, where it has been borne by numerous notable figures from different walks of life.
People
Petar + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Petar 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
Petar: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Petar?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 609 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Petar 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 562,815 US residents.
Is Petar a common name?
We classify Petar as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 627 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Petar most popular?
The single biggest year for Petar was 2006, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Petar is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Petar a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Petar 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.