Peteris
Of Greek origin, meaning "stone" or "rock".
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Peteris. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Peteris today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Peteris births was 1953 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Peteris. 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
- • The typical person named Peteris is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Peteris' were born before 1970.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Peteris. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1953
5 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1953 SSA rank
#4,216
Tracked since 1953
Popularity
Peteris: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Peteris 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 Peteris during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Peteris
Peteris is a Latvian masculine given name derived from the Greek name Petros, which means "rock" or "stone". The name has its roots in the Biblical figure of Saint Peter, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ and a central figure in Christianity.
The name Peteris first appeared in Latvia during the medieval period when the country was Christianized. It became a popular name among the Latvian people, who embraced the Christian faith and adopted names from the Bible and the lives of saints.
In ancient times, the name Petros was widely used in the Greek-speaking world, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean region. It gained prominence through the figure of Saint Peter, who was considered the first Pope of the Catholic Church and the leader of the Apostles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Peteris can be found in the chronicles of the Livonian Crusades, a series of military campaigns conducted by German crusaders in the 12th and 13th centuries to Christianize the Baltic region. The name appears in connection with local Latvian leaders and noblemen who converted to Christianity.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Peteris. One of the most prominent was Peteris Stucka (1865-1932), a Latvian Bolshevik revolutionary and one of the founders of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic. Another was Peteris Vasks (1946-), a renowned Latvian composer known for his works blending traditional Latvian folk melodies with modern classical styles.
Other notable individuals named Peteris include Peteris Jurjāns (1836-1904), a Latvian educator and writer who played a significant role in the development of the Latvian language and literature, and Peteris Avens (1874-1962), a Latvian politician and diplomat who served as the first Prime Minister of independent Latvia from 1918 to 1919.
In the realm of sports, Peteris Skudra (1909-1975) was a Latvian wrestler who won a silver medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, while Peteris Apinis (1923-2011) was a distinguished basketball player and coach who led the Latvian national team to numerous victories in the Soviet era.
People
Peteris + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Peteris 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
Peteris: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Peteris?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Peteris 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Peteris a common name?
We classify Peteris as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Peteris most popular?
The single biggest year for Peteris was 1953, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Peteris is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Peteris in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Peteris a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Peteris 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.
Is Peteris still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Peteris in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Peteris can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Peteris?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.