Fun Facts About the Name Peer
- 24 babies named Peer: U.S. records list 24 babies given the name Peer from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Peer Mean?
Peer is a masculine given name used in Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands, and it carries the meaning "rock" or "stone." It is a Scandinavian and Dutch form of Peter, which descends from Greek Petros (Πέτρος), a word for a rock or stone. That Greek name in turn renders the Aramaic nickname Kefa (Cephas), also meaning "rock," which the New Testament gives to Simon. The literal sense is therefore a rock or stone; the later Christian reading of the name connects it to the apostle Peter and to the idea of a firm foundation, which is a symbolic layer added on top of the plain meaning.
Peer Name History & Origins
Peer belongs to the large northern European family of names that includes Per, Peder, and Peter. These forms spread through Scandinavia with Christianity, entering Danish and Norwegian usage by way of Latin Petrus and Low German Peter, both ultimately from Greek. Over time the longer forms shortened in everyday speech, and Per and Peer emerged as common spoken variants of Peder and Peter in Denmark and Norway. The double-e spelling Peer is one established written form of that short name.
In the Netherlands, Peer is also used as a given name, again as a form of Pieter (Peter), and it appears there as a surname as well. The best-known literary bearer is the title character of Henrik Ibsen's verse play Peer Gynt (1867). Ibsen took the name and the basic figure from an older Norwegian oral tradition about a man called Per Gynt from the Gudbrandsdalen valley; the playwright's spelling Peer reflects a variant of Per that was already in use rather than an invention. The play made the name familiar to a wide international audience, but the name itself is older than the play.
How Popular is the Name Peer?
Peer has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1970. Its best rank was #3,581 in 1961.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | #4,133 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1969 | #4,855 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #3,581 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #4,211 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with P
Short Boy Names That Start with P
How the Name Peer Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Peer's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Peer's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.