Given name & surname
Petter
“as solid and strong as a rock”
In Swedish use, Petter has a related form in Peter. One Greek interpretation is “as solid and strong as a rock.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Swedish use, Petter has a related form in Peter. One Greek interpretation is “as solid and strong as a rock.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In Swedish use, Petter has a related form in Peter. Peter has been associated with Greek, Aramaic, and Scottish Gaelic naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1918. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Petter through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 60
- 60 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 7 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2020. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 7 in 1918. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 382 as a first name in 2020; 658 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Petter’s family of names
Petter shares a linguistic root with Peter. In Swedish usage, Petter has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form Piotr. In Swedish usage, Petter has a related form in Peter.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Petter has relatives in 10 languages.
10 related names in 10 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 36
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Pedroequivalent
- Pierreequivalent
- PietroItalian
- Pieroequivalent
- Petarequivalent
- Petrosequivalent
- PieterDutch
- PiotrPolish
Show 28 moreShow fewer
- PetrusDutch
- PetrCzech
- Peruequivalent
- Kepaequivalent
- Pederequivalent
- Perequivalent
- Petroequivalent
- Peerequivalent
- 彼得Chinese
- Pettersen“son of” surname · Norwegian
- Petteriderivative · Finnish
- Peeterequivalent
- Petruequivalent
- Pietequivalent
- Pjeturequivalent
- Pietariequivalent
- Pereequivalent
- Pēterisequivalent
- Petkoequivalent
- Peteloequivalent
- Pjetërequivalent
- Péterequivalent
- Petriequivalent
- Peetuequivalent
- Pjeterequivalent
- Pehrequivalent
- Péturequivalent
- Peroequivalent
People named Petter
- Petter SolbergNorwegian rally and rallycross driverborn 1974
- Petter NorthugNorwegian cross-country skierborn 1986
- Petter HanssonSwedish footballerborn 1976
- Petter DassNorwegian priest and poet1647–1707
- Petter Adolf KarstenFinnish mycologist (1834-1917)
- Petter HugstedNorwegian footballer (1921-2000)
- Petter NæssNorwegian directorborn 1960
- Petter TandeNorwegian Nordic skierborn 1985
- Petter RudiNorwegian footballerborn 1973
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Petter, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Einer
“a leading warrior”
>99% boys
Parley
“one who negotiates” · “a reluctant man”
93% boys · 7% girls
Elmer
“a renowned and noble man”
>99% boys
Lester
“roman fort” · “a man from Leicester”
>99% boys
Wilber
“one who is willful; a bright man”
>99% boys
Homer
“a tomboyish woman” · “of the pledge; an epic poet”
>99% boys
Sumner
“a legal official; one who serves summons”
82% boys · 18% girls
Omer
“a flourishing man; one who is well-spoken”
99% boys · 1% girls