Peter is a common name. As a given name, it is generally derived from Peter the Apostle, born Simon, whom Jesus renamed "Peter" after he declared that Jesus indeed was the Messiah. The name "Peter" roughly means "rock" in Greek.
Religion
edit- Saint Peter (died 64–68), Jesus' disciple
- Peter I of Alexandria (d. 311), Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria
- Peter the Deacon (died 605), confidant of Pope Gregory I and rector of Sicily
- Peter of Canterbury (died c. 610), the first abbot of the monastery of SS. Peter and Paul in Canterbury
- Peter of Pavia (bishop) (died 735), a saint and Bishop of Pavia
- Peter of Anagni (died 1105), a saint and Bishop Of Anagni
- Peter, the bishop of Zaragoza (Spain) in 1112
- Peter the Deacon (died c. 1140), "the Librarian" (Bibliothecarius)
- Peter II of Tarentaise (1102–1174), Archbishop of Tarentaise and saint
- Peter Pareuzi (died 1199), a Papal legate, martyr and saint
- Peter, a companion in martyrdom of Berard of Carbio (died 1220)
- Saint Peter of Verona (1206–1252), also known as Peter Martyr
- Peter of Auvergne (died after 1310), a scholastic philosopher
- Saint Peter of Moscow (died 1326), Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia
- Saint Peter of Murom (1167–1228), Prince of Murom and Wonderworker
- Peter of Aquila (died 1361), an Italian Franciscan theologian and bishop
- Peter of Bergamo (died 1482), a Dominican theologian
- Peter Martyr Vermigli (1499–1562), a Reformation-era theologian
- Saint Peter the Aleut (died 1815?), a Eastern Orthodox Christian martyr in California
- Manuel Corral, leader of the Palmarian Christian Church from 2005 to 2011 under the title Pope Peter II
- Peter (Loukianoff) (born 1948), archbishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
- Peter (Musteață) (born 1967), Russian Orthodox bishop of Ungheni and Nisporeni, Moldova
- Peter Chrysologus (died 450), bishop of Ravenna
Nobility
edit- Peter (diplomat) (fl. 860s–870s), Bulgarian noble
- Peter (judge royal) (fl. 1183), nobleman in the Kingdom of Hungary
- Peter, Constable of Portugal (1429–1466), third Grand Master of the Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz
- Peter, Count of Dammartin (died 1106), son of Hugh I
- Peter, Duke of Coimbra (1392–1449), Portuguese prince of the House of Aviz
- Peter, Duke of the Romans, 11th century Roman consul
- Peter, King of Hungary (born 1010s), King of Hungary
- Peter, son of Petenye (fl. c. 1400), Hungarian lord
- Peter, son of Töre (died 1213), Hungarian lord, served as judge royal in 1198
- Peter I, Count of Alençon (1251–1284), Count of Perche, son of Louis IX of France
- Peter I of Aragon and Pamplona (c. 1068–1104), king of Aragon and Pamplona
- Peter I of Arborea (d. 1214), king of Sardinia
- Peter I of Bulgaria (died 970), emperor of Bulgaria
- Peter I of Courtenay (1126–1183), French noble
- Peter I of Cyprus (1328–1369), king of Cyprus
- Peter I of Portugal (1320–1367), king of Portugal
- Peter I of Serbia (1844–1921) king of Serbia
- Peter of Castile (1334–1369), king of Castile and León
- Peter of Greece and Denmark (1908–1980), prince
- Peter the Great (1672–1725), first Russian emperor
- Peter II of Russia (1715–1730), third Russian emperor
- Peter III of Russia (1728–1762), seventh Russian emperor
Actors
edit- Peter (actor) (born 1952), Japanese actor
- Peter Bogdanovich (1939–2022), American film director and actor
- Peter Boyle (1935–2006), American actor
- Peter Billingsley (1971-present), American Actor
- Peter Brocco (1903–1992), American actor
- Peter Capaldi (born 1958), Scottish actor, twelfth Doctor Who
- Peter Capell (1912–1986), German actor
- Peter Claffey (born 1996), Irish actor and rugby union player
- Peter Cullen (born 1941), Canadian voice actor
- Peter Cushing (1913–1994), English actor
- Peter Davison (born 1951), English actor, fifth Doctor Who
- Peter Dinklage (born 1969), American actor
- Peter Duncan (actor), (born 1954), Blue Peter presenter and UK Chief Scout
- Peter Facinelli (born 1973), American actor and producer
- Peter Falk (1927–2011), American actor
- Peter Finch (1916–1977), English-Australian actor
- Peter Firth (born 1953), English actor
- Peter Fonda (1940–2019), American actor
- Peter Hawkins (1924–2006), British actor
- Peter Hermann (born 1967), American actor
- Peter Hooten (born 1950), American actor
- Peter Jurasik (born 1950), American actor
- Peter Kraus (born 1939), Austrian singer and actor
- Peter Lorre (1904–1964), Hollywood actor
- Peter Mayhew (1944-2019), American actor
- Peter McRobbie (born 1943), Scottish-born American actor
- Peter Noone, (born 1947) English singer-songwriter and actor. Lead singer of Herman's Hermits
- Peter Ostrum (born 1957), American veterinarian and child actor
- Peter O'Brian (actor), New Zealand/Indonesian actor
- Peter O'Toole (1932–2013), English actor
- Peter Purves (born 1939), English actor
- Peter Scanavino (born 1980), American actor
- Peter Sellers (1925–1980), British actor
- Peter Serafinowicz (born 1972), British actor
- Peter Strauss (born 1947), American actor
- Peter Ustinov (1921–2004), English actor, writer and dramatist
- Peter Wingfield (born 1962), Welsh actor
- Peter Sallis (1921 - 2017) British actor
Sportsmen
edit- Peter Aerts (born 1970), Dutch kickboxer
- Peter Aitken (born 1954), Welsh footballer
- Peter Alonso (born 1994), American baseball player
- Peter Asch (born 1948), American water polo player
- Péter Bakonyi (fencer, born 1938), Hungarian saber fencer
- Peter Baum (born 1990), American lacrosse player
- Peter Bonetti (1941–2020), English footballer
- Peter Bore (born 1987), English footballer
- Peter Bowden (born 2001), American football player
- Peter Crawford (born 1979), Australian basketball player
- Peter Creamer (born 1953), English footballer
- Peter Crouch (born 1981), English footballer
- Peter Desmond (1926–1990), Irish footballer
- Peter Duffield (born 1969), English footballer
- Peter Ezugwu (born 1976), English business man and former professional basketball player
- Peter Fishbach (born 1947), American tennis player
- Peter Foley (snowboarding) (born 1965 or 1966), American former snowboarding coach; suspended for 10 years for sexual misconduct
- Peter Fuzes (born 1947), Australian soccer player
- Peter Jacobs (fencer) (born 1938), British Olympic fencer
- Peter Kalambayi (born 1995), American football player
- Peter Khalife (born 1990), Lebanese-Swedish football agent, manager and player
- Peter Kirkham (born 1974), English footballer
- Peter Lorimer (1946–2021), Scottish footballer
- Peter Mandelson (born 1953), British Labour politician
- Peter Maru (born 2003), Ugandan long-distance runner
- Peter McGiffin, Australian cricket coach
- Peter Moylan (born 1978), Australian professional baseball player
- Peter Paltchik (born 1992), Israeli Olympic and European champion judoka
- Peter Pickering (1926–2006), English footballer
- Peter Polansky, Canadian tennis player
- Peter Popely (born 1943), English footballer
- Peter Rennert (born 1958), American tennis player
- Peter Schaale (born 1996), German footballer
- Peter Schifrin (born 1958), American Olympic fencer and sculptor
- Peter Schmid (1898–?), Swiss Olympic skier
- Peter Senerchia (born 1967), American professional wrestling commentator, wrestler, and radio personality best known by his ring name Taz
- Peter Skoronski (born 2001), American football player
- Peter Spooner (1910–1987), English footballer
- Peter Thornley (born 1941), English professional wrestler best known for the ring character Kendo Nagasaki
- Peter Till (born 1985), English footballer
- Peter Wales (1928–2008), English cricketer
- Peter Wallace (rugby league) (born 1985), Australian rugby player
- Peter Wragg (1931–2004), English footballer
- Peter Zauner (born 1983), Austrian badminton player
- Peter Zoïs (born 1978), Australian football manager
Other
edit- Peter (curopalates) (died 602), Byzantine general and brother of Emperor Maurice
- Peter (floruit 926), governor of Rome, Roman consul and brother of Pope John X
- Peter (stratopedarches), Byzantine eunuch general
- Peter (usurper) (died 506), Roman "tyrant" (usurper) against the Visigothic rulers of Spain
- Peter the Byzantine (fl. 1770–1808), Greek cantor and composer
- Peter the Patrician (c. 500–565), East Roman or Byzantine official, diplomat and historian
- Peter the Peloponnesian (c. 1735 – 1778), Greek cantor and composer
- Peter Alexander (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Alldridge, British lawyer
- Peter Daniel Anthonisz (1822–1903), Sri Lankan Burgher doctor, 1st President of the Ceylon Branch of the British Medical Association
- Peter Bainbridge (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Banks (1947–2013), British musician, songwriter, and producer
- Peter Bartsocas (born 1980), American musician
- Peter Baxter (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Beale (British Army officer) (born 1934), lieutenant-general and Surgeon-General of the British Armed Forces (1991–1994)
- Peter Beard (1938–2020) American artist, photographer, diarist and writer
- Peter Best (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Bishop (artist) (born 21 May 1953), English painter and art historian
- Peder Björk (born 1975), Swedish politician
- Peter Borish, American investor and trader
- Peter William Cassey (1831–1917), African-American 19th-century school founder, minister, and abolitionist.
- Peter Carter (disambiguation), various people
- Alan Peter Cayetano, Filipino politician and current speaker of the House of Representatives
- Peter Cetera (born 1944), American singer-songwriter
- Peter Chandler (soccer) (1953–2022), American football player
- Peter Chandler (politician) (born 1965), Australian politician
- Peter Chester (born 1954), English convicted murderer and pedophile
- Peter Colotka, (1925–2019), Slovak academic, lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the Slovak Socialist Republic (1969–1988)
- Peter Crawford (1818–1889), Scottish-born surveyor and pioneer
- Peter De Abrew (1862–1940), Sri Lankan Sinhala industrialist and philanthropist
- Peter Durant, American politician
- Peter Elsbach (1924–2020), Dutch physician
- Péter Esterházy (1950–2016), Hungarian author
- Peter F. Gontha (born 1948), Indonesian chief executive officer
- Peter J. Fos (born 1949), first president and seventh chief executive of the University of New Orleans
- Peter Frame (1957–2018), American ballet dancer
- Peter Frampton (born 1950), English rock musician, singer-songwriter
- Peter Funch (born 1965), Danish zoologist
- Peter Gabriel (born 1950), English rock musician, singer-songwriter and humanitarian
- Peter J. Ganci Jr. (c. 1946–2001), American firefighter
- Peter van Gestel (1937–2019), Dutch writer
- Peter Gibb (1954–2011), Australian criminal and prison escapee
- Peter Giles (born 1944), British singer and bassist
- Peter Green (1946-2020), British singer and guitarist
- Peter Greenaway (born 1942), British filmmaker
- Peter C. Gøtzsche (born 1949), Danish physician and medical researcher
- Peter Gavin Hall (1951–2016), Australian researcher in probability theory and mathematical statistics
- Peter Hayman (1914–1992), British diplomat and paedophile
- Peter Hedberg (born 1990), Swedish politician
- Peter Hederstedt (born 1963), Swedish officer
- Peter Hepplewhite (born 1954), British author
- Peter Hitchens (born 1951), English journalist and author
- Peter Holmes (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Jackson (born 1961), New Zealand film director, screenwriter and film producer
- Peter Jeffrey (badminton) (born 1975), Badminton England Head Coach
- Peter Jennings (1938–2005), ABC News anchor
- Peter Johnsson (born 1962), Swedish politician
- Peter Joseph, (born 1979), American independent filmmaker and activist
- Peter Kloeppel, German journalist
- Peter Knight (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Kropotkin (1842–1921), anarcho-communist revolutionary and philosopher
- Peter Kürten (1883–1931), German serial killer and rapist
- Peter Laird (born 1954), American comic book writer and artist
- Peter Law (1948–2006), Welsh politician
- Peter Lee Shih Shiong (born 1966), Singaporean singer-songwriter
- Peter Lester (disambiguation)
- Peter Lim (born 1954), Singaporean businessman
- Peter Linde (born 1946), Swedish sculptor
- Peter Lougheed (1928–2012), Premier of Alberta, Canada
- Peter Maffay (born 1949), Romanian-born German singer
- Peter Max (born 1937), Jewish German-born American illustrator and graphic artist
- Peter McReynolds, Northern Irish politician
- Peter Medawar (1915–1987), British biologist and Nobel laureate
- Peter Morris (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Musñgi (born 1945), Filipino broadcast journalist, voice over artist and radio DJ
- Peter O'Brian (film producer) (born 1947), Canadian film producer
- Peter O'Brien (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Oliver (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg, commonly known as Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate
- Peter Pellegrini (born 1975), Slovak politician
- Peter Peregrinus of Maricourt, 13th century French scholar and magnetism experimenter
- Peter Perry (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Persson (born 1955), Swedish politician
- Peter Petersen (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Peterson (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Rådberg (born 1956), Swedish politician
- Peter Rehberg (1968–2021), Austrian-British musician
- Peter Rennert (born 1958), American tennis player
- Peter Revson (1939–1974), American racing driver
- Peter Righton (1926–2007), British child protection expert, social care worker and child molester
- Peter Schiff, stock broker, financial commentator, and radio personality
- Peter Schilling (born 1956), German singer
- Peter Schmid (archaeologist) (1926–2022), German archaeologist
- Peter Schmid (swimmer) (born 1949), Austrian swimmer
- Peter Schowtka (1945–2022), German politician
- Peter Scott (1909–1989), British ornithologist
- Peter Scully (born 1963), Australian criminal
- Peter Seabrook (1935–2022), British gardening writer
- Peter Sekulic (born 1962), Canadian politician
- Peter Shalson (born 1957), British businessman
- Peter Shaw (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Shukoff (born 1979), American comedian, musician, and YouTube celebrity
- Peter Shumlin (born 1956), American politician
- Peter Sinfield (born 1943), English poet, songwriter, and founding member of British rock band King Crimson
- Peter Sohn (born 1977), American filmmaker and animator at Pixar
- Peter Steffensen (born 1979), Danish badminton player
- Peter Stöger (born 1966), Austrian football coach
- Peter Stone (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Stronach (born 1956), English footballer
- Peter Sutcliffe (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Sutcliffe (1946–2020), prolific English serial killer
- Peter Swan (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Tait (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Tham, Singaporean stockbroker
- Peter Thomas (disambiguation), multiple people
- Peter Tobin (1946–2022), Scottish serial killer
- Peter Tork (1942–2019), American singer and guitarist
- Peter Tosh (1944–1987) Jamaican reggae musician
- Peter Truong, convicted child sexual abuser
- Peter Truscott, Baron Truscott, British Labour Party politician and peer
- Peter van der Voort (born 1964), Dutch physician, professor, and politician
- Peter Wallis (born 1935), British diplomat
- Peter Wang (2002–2018), one of the 17 victims who was killed in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
- Peter Whittle (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Williams (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Willis (disambiguation), various people
- Peter Woodcock (1939–2010), Canadian serial killer, rapist, and necrophile
- Peter Yarrow (born 1938), American singer and songwriter, Peter, Paul and Mary
- Peter Wu Junwei (born 1963), Chinese Catholic Bishop
Fictional characters
edit- Black Peter, from the card game Old Maid.
- Peter McCallister, a protagonist in the Home Alone franchise.
- Peter Beaupre, a recurring protagonist in the movie Home Alone 3.
- Little Peter, in the fairy tale Little Peter's Journey to the Moon.
- Peter the goatherd, in Heidi.
- Peter the Young Pioneer, from the symphonic fairy tale Peter and the Wolf.
- Peter Barlow, a character from the British soap opera series Coronation Street.
- Peter Beale, on the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
- Peter Bishop, in the TV series Fringe.
- Peter Blood, the protagonist of the novel Captain Blood.
- Peter Brady, on the TV series The Brady Bunch.
- Peter Burnford, on Disney's Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey.
- Peter Dawe, in the film Cyberbully.
- Peter Dreyfuss, a character in GTA V.
- Peter Friedkin, a character from Final Destination 5.
- Peter Griffin, the protagonist of the animated TV series Family Guy.
- Peter Gunn, private eye protagonist of Peter Gunn, a 1958–1961 American television series
- Peter Hayes, a protagonist in The Divergent Series
- Peter Kirkland (Sealand) from the anime Hetalia.
- Pete Lattimer, in the TV series Warehouse 13.
- Peter Ludlow, the rich InGen CEO, main human villain of The Lost World: Jurassic Park
- Pietro or Peter Maximoff, aka Quicksilver, from Marvel Comics.
- Sister Peter Marie, in the TV series Oz.
- Peter McCallister, Kevin's father in the Home Alone franchise.
- Peter McGee, a character from The Ghost and Molly McGee.
- Peter Pan, created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie.
- Peter Parker, the secret identity of Spider-Man, a Marvel Comics superhero.
- Peter Perfect, on the Hanna-Barbera animated series Wacky Races.
- Peter Petrelli, on the NBC television series Heroes.
- Peter Pettigrew, from the Harry Potter novels.
- Peter Pevensie, in The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.
- Peter Pinkerton, the younger brother of Pinkalicious in the Pinkalicious book series and its animated series adaptation Pinkalicious & Peterrific.
- Professor Peter Port, a recurring character in the American animated web series RWBY.
- Peter Puppy, Earthworm Jim's sidekick from the Earthworm Jim franchise.
- Peter Quill, leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy in the Marvel Universe.
- Peter Rabbit, an anthropomorphic character in various children's stories by Beatrix Potter.
- Piotr "Peter" Rasputin, aka Colossus, from Marvel Comics.
- Pete Ross, a DC Comics character commonly associated with Superman.
- Peter Rumancek from Hemlock Grove.
- Peter Solomon, in the novel The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown.
- Peter Stone, from the TV series Degrassi: The Next Generation.
- Peter Van Holp, in the novel Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates, by Mary Mapes Dodge.
- Peter Venkman, one of the main characters in the Ghostbusters franchise.
- Peter Vincent, a vampire slayer in the 1985 film Fright Night and its 2011 remake.
- Peter Weyland, the CEO of the Weyland Corporation in TED 2023, Prometheus, and Alien: Covenant
- Peter Wiggin, Ender's older brother in the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card.
- Lord Peter Wimsey, Gentleman Detective in a series of novels by Dorothy L Sayers.
- Peter Zylbergold, in the film Cyberbully.
- Struwwelpeter, in the German children's book by Heinrich Hoffmann.
- Peter from the nursery rhyme Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater.
- Peter from the Wee Sing 1988 film Grandpa's Magical Toys.
- Peter, in the film The Room.
- Perfect Peter, from the British book and animated TV series Horrid Henry.