How common is the surname Peter?

9,191 people in the United States had the surname Peter in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 33,592 Americans. It ranked 3,859th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Peter?

In the 2010 Census, 71% of people named Peter identified as white (not Hispanic), and 12% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

Who is the most famous person named Peter?

Philipp Peter, Austrian racing driver, followed by H. G. Peter.

Where is the surname Peter most common?

Wikidata records people named Peter in Austria, the United States and Poland and 1 other country.

How do you pronounce Peter?

Peter is /ˈpitɚ/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Peter getting more or less common?

More common. 8,662 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 9,191 in 2010, up 6.1%.

Is Peter also a first name?

Yes. Peter is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Peter

A Latin patronymic surname, carried by 9,191 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈpitɚ/ 2 syllables Soundex P360 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Peter is more common than 97.6% of them.

Origin

Latin origin

From Middle English Peter, from Old English Petrus, from Latin Petrus, from Ancient Greek Πέτρος (Pétros), from πέτρος (pétros, “stone, rock”). Doublet of Pedro, Piers, and Boutros.

Peter is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 91 Latin surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 9,191 people named Peter in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 33,592 Americans. That is up 6.1% since 2000, when the Census counted 8,662.

#3,859

rank among US surnames

9,191

people in 2010

3.1

per 100,000 Americans

+6.1%

change since 2000 (was #3,758)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#3,855	Hoy	9,196	33,574
#3,856	Sweat	9,194	33,581
#3,857	Hoyle	9,192	33,589
#3,859	Peter	9,191	33,592

Who is named Peter

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

71% of people named Peter identified as white (not Hispanic), 12% as Asian and Pacific Islander and 8.0% as Black (not Hispanic).

White (not Hispanic) 71%
Asian and Pacific Islander 12%
Black (not Hispanic) 8.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 3.7%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.9%
Two or more races 2.1%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Peters

7 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Philipp Peter
Austrian racing driver, born 1969
H. G. Peter
American newspaper illustrator and cartoonist, 1880–1958
Franz Peter
Austrian flying ace, major of the Polish Army (1896–1968)
Johann Wenzel Peter
Austrian painter (1745–1829)
Taelon Peter
American basketball player (born 2002)
Patrick Peter
Austrian ice hockey player, born 1994
Friedrich Peter
Austrian politician (1921–2005)

Notable Peters come mostly from Austria (3), the United States (2) and Poland (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Peter

Peter has the Soundex code P360, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code P360.

Other Latin surnames

All 91 Latin surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Peter come from?: From Middle English Peter, from Old English Petrus, from Latin Petrus, from Ancient Greek Πέτρος (Pétros), from πέτρος (pétros, “stone, rock”). Doublet of Pedro, Piers, and Boutros.
How common is the surname Peter?: 9,191 people in the United States had the surname Peter in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 33,592 Americans. It ranked 3,859th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Peter?: In the 2010 Census, 71% of people named Peter identified as white (not Hispanic), and 12% as Asian and Pacific Islander.
Who is the most famous person named Peter?: Philipp Peter, Austrian racing driver, followed by H. G. Peter.
Where is the surname Peter most common?: Wikidata records people named Peter in Austria, the United States and Poland and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Peter?: Peter is /ˈpitɚ/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Peter?: Peter is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Peter getting more or less common?: More common. 8,662 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 9,191 in 2010, up 6.1%.
Is Peter also a first name?: Yes. Peter is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.