Petra
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "rock" or "stone".
Name Census estimates that about 8,414 living Americans carry the first name Petra. It is a predominantly female name (99.5% of registrations). The average person named Petra today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Petra births was 1927 (205 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Petra. 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
- • Although Petra is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 67 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
8.4K
~ 1 in 40,736 Americans
Peak year
1927
205 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1991 SSA rank
#1,486
Tracked since 1881
Gender
Gender distribution for Petra
Out of the 14,465 babies given the name Petra since 1880, 99.5% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Petra as a male name
- Ranked #9,236 in 1991
- 5 male births in 1991
- Peak: 1927 (8 births)
Petra as a female name
- Ranked #1,486 in 2024
- 147 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1927 (197 births)
Popularity
Petra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Petra from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 1,822 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Petra remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Petra 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 Petra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Petras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 27 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Petra, while Georgia, Connecticut, Tennessee recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 359 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Petra
The name Petra is derived from the Greek word "petra," which means "rock" or "stone." It has its origins in ancient Greece, where it was used as a feminine given name.
The earliest recorded use of the name Petra dates back to the 4th century BC, when it appeared in Greek historical texts and inscriptions. It was also used in the New Testament of the Bible as the name of an ancient city in present-day Jordan, known for its remarkable rock-cut architecture.
In the early Christian era, Petra became a popular name among the followers of the Christian faith. It was often given to girls in honor of St. Petra, a 3rd-century martyr who was executed for her beliefs during the Roman persecution of Christians.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Petra was Petra of Constantinople, a 5th-century Byzantine empress who was the wife of Emperor Leo I. She played a significant role in shaping the religious and political landscape of the Byzantine Empire.
Another famous bearer of the name was Petra Delicado, a 16th-century Spanish feminist and writer who challenged traditional gender roles and advocated for women's rights in her works.
In the 18th century, Petra Jacoba Ido was a Dutch poet and writer who was known for her innovative style and bold themes. She was celebrated for her contributions to Dutch literature.
During the 20th century, Petra Kelly, a German politician and activist, gained prominence as a co-founder of the Green Party in Germany. She was a pioneering figure in the environmental and peace movements and was born in 1947.
More recently, Petra Kvitova, a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic, has achieved international fame for her success on the court. Born in 1990, she has won multiple Grand Slam titles and has been ranked among the top players in the world.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Petra
People
Petra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Petra 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
Petra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Petra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8,414 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Petra 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 40,736 US residents.
Is Petra a common name?
We classify Petra as "Rare". It ranks above 97.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 14,465 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Petra most popular?
The single biggest year for Petra was 1927, when 205 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Petra is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Petra a female name?
Yes, 99.5% of people registered as Petra in the SSA data are female. 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.