Peter
Peter is a male given name: 99% of people named Peter are men, and it is recorded as male in 21 of the 21 countries covered.
Peter · Péter
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 99% male / 1% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Slovakia, Austria
- Also spelled
- Péter
- US births since 1880
- 574,930 male / 1,938 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Peter
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Peter," in English, "Guten Tag Peter," in German. Peter is a male given name: about 99% of people named Peter are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Peter,
German
Guten Tag Peter,
French
Bonjour Peter,
Spanish
Estimado/a Peter:
Chinese
Peter您好：
Japanese
Peter様
English
Hi Peter,
German
Hi Peter,
French
Salut Peter,
Spanish
Hola Peter,
Chinese
Peter你好：
Japanese
Peterさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | man's name | 100% |
| Slovakia | very common | man's name | 98% |
| Austria | common | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | common | man's name | 98% |
| Germany | common | man's name | 98% |
| Denmark | common | man's name | 98% |
| Great Britain | common | man's name | 98% |
| Hungary | common | man's name | 98% |
| Netherlands | common | man's name | 98% |
| Sweden | common | man's name | 98% |
| East Frisia | common | man's name | 98% |
| Slovenia | common | man's name | 98% |
Show all 21 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | common | man's name | 98% |
| Ireland | common | man's name | 98% |
| Malta | common | man's name | 98% |
| Russia | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Israel | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Luxembourg | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Norway | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Ukraine | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Belarus | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
574,930 male · 1,938 female · 576,868 births recorded
Since 1980: 100% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Peter a male or female name?
Peter is a male given name: 99% of people named Peter are men, and it is recorded as male in 21 of the 21 countries covered.
How do I address Peter in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Peter," in English, "Guten Tag Peter," in German. Peter is a male given name: about 99% of people named Peter are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Peter a unisex name?
Peter is not a unisex name: 99% of people named Peter are men. Peter leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Peter a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/peter (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_peter,
title = {Is Peter a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/peter},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}