| Peter | Theodore | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Rock, stone | gift of God |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | PEE-ter | THEE-ə-dor |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1957 (11,603) | 2025 (13,355) |
| In 2025 | 1,954 | 13,355 |
| Trend | Steady | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Peter | Theodore |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10,923 | 65,579 |
| 2010s | 18,725 | 40,530 |
| 2000s | 26,136 | 10,556 |
| 1990s | 42,394 | 10,113 |
| 1980s | 56,713 | 11,958 |
| 1970s | 62,320 | 13,567 |
| 1960s | 92,418 | 21,288 |
| 1950s | 102,747 | 29,050 |
| 1940s | 69,330 | 26,249 |
| 1930s | 35,822 | 24,957 |
| 1920s | 34,066 | 31,287 |
| 1910s | 24,935 | 21,106 |
| 1900s | 4,375 | 6,490 |
| 1890s | 4,028 | 2,300 |
| 1880s | 4,656 | 2,176 |
From the Greek petros, “rock.” Jesus renames the apostle Simon as Peter, the rock of the church.
From Greek Theodoros, combining theos 'God' and doron 'gift' — literally 'gift of God'. Note that Theodore and Dorothea are built from the SAME two elements in reversed order.
Theodore is more popular than Peter today: about 13,355 US babies were given the name Theodore in 2025, compared with 1,954 named Peter.
Peter means Rock, stone (Greek origin), while Theodore means gift of God (greek origin).
In US records, Peter first appears in 1880 and Theodore in 1880, so Peter has the longer recorded history.