John vs Peter
John and Petercompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, John was ranked #29 and Peter #152 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2007, John was ranked #61 and Peter #94 among boys in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, John was ranked #67 and Peter #164 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, John was ranked #78 and Peter #181 among boys in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2006, John was ranked #80 and Peter #83 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, John was ranked #161 and Peter #174 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, John was ranked #164 and Peter #286 among boys in England and Wales.
John and Peter over time
John and Peter appear together in 6 published lists, across 306 years of shared records. John held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Peter in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
John reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Peter in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
John and Peter changed places 6 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1952 and 2006, ending at #80 and #83.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, John and Peter averaged 55.1 places apart, ending at #164 and #286.
- Longest-running competitions
John and Peter were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 55 years, from 1952 to 2006, ending at #80 and #83.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — John #46 in 1996, Peter #59 in 1996.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
John held the stronger position in 77 of those years, Peter in 4.
Highest recorded here: John #12 in 1955, Peter #72 in 1987.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: John #161, Peter #174.
Republic of Ireland · Boys62 shared years, 1964–2025
John held the stronger position in 62 of those years, Peter in 0.
Highest recorded here: John #1 in 1964, Peter #13 in 1964.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: John #29, Peter #152.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys55 shared years, 1952–2006
John held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Peter in 37.
Highest recorded here: John #1 in 1952, Peter #1 in 1954.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2006: John #80, Peter #83.
New Zealand · Boys51 shared years, 1954–2007
John held the stronger position in 42 of those years, Peter in 9.
Highest recorded here: John #1 in 1954, Peter #1 in 1956.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2007: John #61, Peter #94.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
John held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Peter in 0.
Highest recorded here: John #46 in 1996, Peter #59 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: John #164, Peter #286.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
John held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Peter in 1.
Highest recorded here: John #17 in 1997, Peter #22 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: John #67, Peter #164.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | John | Peter |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | From Hebrew Yochanan, 'Yahweh is gracious', via Greek Ioannes and Latin Iohannes. One of the most widespread names in Christian Europe, associated with both John the Baptist and the apostle John. | From Greek Petros ('stone'), a translation of the Aramaic Cephas, the name Jesus gave to the apostle Simon. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Greek/Aramaic, biblical |
| Pronunciation | /ˈjɔn/ | /ˈpit.əɹ/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #29 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #152 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- John is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Peter is recorded with a Greek/Aramaic, biblical origin.
- John has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Peter.
- John's recorded meaning differs from Peter's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
John
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #20 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2019
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–2019).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #161 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Peter
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #106 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2006
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1954 (recorded 1952–2006).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #174 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys