Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1927

Petra

Meaning rock Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,372 Trend → Stable

Ultimately from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra, “rock”).

Rank 2025
#1,372
among girls · ↑118 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
161
named Petra · +10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,983
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1927
205 babies
All-time total
14,626
#1,308 all-time among girls
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Petra popularity over time

14,626 babies have been named Petra since 1881, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 136 – 136 14 – #522
1890s 257 – 257 26 +89% #435
1900s 407 – 407 41 +58% #505
1910s 1,007 5 1,012 101 +149% #510
1920s 1,791 31 1,822 182 +80% #492
1930s 1,309 16 1,325 133 -27% #498
1940s 1,060 5 1,065 107 -20% #666
1950s 1,059 – 1,059 106 -1% #760
1960s 1,260 – 1,260 126 +19% #791
1970s 1,165 5 1,170 117 -7% #973
1980s 883 – 883 88 -25% #1,166
1990s 823 5 828 83 -6% #1,621
2000s 1,046 – 1,046 105 +26% #1,644
2010s 1,433 – 1,433 143 +37% #1,330
2020s (to 2025) 923 – 923 154 +7% #1,278

Where Petra is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 161 0.10 outside top 500
2027 161 0.10 outside top 500
2028 161 0.10 outside top 500
2029 161 0.10 outside top 500
2030 161 0.10 outside top 500

Where Petra is most popular

Girls named Petra per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.092 per 1,000. Strongest in Oregon, Washington, and Illinois.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Petra born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Oregon 21 0.323 +250%
Washington 44 0.305 +230%
Illinois 36 0.157 +71%
Virginia 23 0.135 +46%
Colorado 13 0.116 +26%
Florida 49 0.115 +24%
California 96 0.114 +24%
New York 44 0.111 +21%
Connecticut 5 0.086 -7%
Michigan 15 0.082 -11%
Pennsylvania 16 0.068 -27%
Texas 54 0.067 -27%
Arizona 8 0.057 -38%
Minnesota 6 0.056 -40%
Wisconsin 5 0.049 -47%
Ohio 11 0.046 -50%
Massachusetts 5 0.041 -55%
Indiana 5 0.036 -61%
North Carolina 5 0.022 -76%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Petra

Petra is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,372 in 2025 with 161 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 14,626 American babies have been named Petra. Its peak came in 1927, when 205 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Petra stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Petra?

The median living Petra is about 41 years old; half are between 15 and 62. An estimated 9,300 people named Petra are alive in the United States today.

median 41 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Petra year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 161 #1,372 – –
2024 147 #1,490 – –
2023 149 #1,473 – –
2022 140 #1,537 – –
2021 151 #1,430 – –
2020 175 #1,278 – –
2019 172 #1,330 – –
2018 144 #1,518 – –
2017 165 #1,398 – –
2016 158 #1,463 – –
2015 176 #1,351 – –
2014 145 #1,518 – –
2013 134 #1,613 – –
2012 122 #1,713 – –
2011 118 #1,746 – –
2010 99 #2,025 – –
2009 135 #1,655 – –
2008 133 #1,682 – –
2007 124 #1,749 – –
2006 101 #1,985 – –
2005 122 #1,644 – –
2004 89 #2,062 – –
2003 80 #2,182 – –
2002 80 #2,122 – –
2001 91 #1,920 – –
2000 91 #1,881 – –
1995 81 #1,783 – –
1990 76 #1,873 – –
1985 91 #1,407 – –
1980 116 #1,166 – –
1975 101 #1,152 – –
1970 130 #973 – –
1965 156 #791 – –
1960 137 #902 – –
1955 100 #1,000 – –
1950 130 #760 – –
1945 93 #777 – –
1940 108 #666 – –
1935 106 #633 – –
1930 176 #505 5 #4,419
1925 189 #512 – –
1920 152 #582 6 #4,167
1915 120 #597 – –
1910 65 #510 – –
1905 43 #526 – –
1900 40 #537 – –
1895 27 #589 – –
1890 18 #639 – –
1885 15 #571 – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Petra

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Petra Kvitová Petra Kvitová Czech tennis player (born 1990) Contemporary
  2. 2 Petra Marklund Petra Marklund Swedish singer, songwriter and television presenter (born 1984) Contemporary
  3. 3 Petra Němcová Petra Němcová Czech model, television host, and philanthropist b. 1979 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Petra Vlhová Petra Vlhová Slovak alpine skier (born 1995) Contemporary
  5. 5 Petra Kelly Petra Kelly Co-founder of the Green Party in Germany (1947–1992) Contemporary
  6. 6 Petra Mede Petra Mede Swedish TV presenter (born 1970) Contemporary
  7. 7 Petra Martić Petra Martić Croatian tennis player (born 1991) Contemporary
  8. 8 Petra Schürmann Petra Schürmann German actress and model 1933–2010 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Petra Majdič Petra Majdič Slovenian cross-country skier b. 1979 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Petra Felke Petra Felke German javelin thrower b. 1959 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Petra Kronberger Austrian alpine skier (born 1969) Contemporary
  12. 12 Petra Cetkovská Petra Cetkovská Czech tennis player (born 1985) Contemporary
  13. 13 Petra Frey Petra Frey Austrian singer b. 1978 · Contemporary
  14. 14 Petra Roth Petra Roth German politician of the CDU b. 1944 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Petra Thümer Petra Thümer East German swimmer (born 1961) Contemporary
  16. 16 Petra Mandula Hungarian tennis player b. 1978 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Petra Olli Petra Olli Finnish freestyle wrestler b. 1994 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Petra Behle Petra Behle German biathlete (born 1969) Contemporary
  19. 19 Petra Schersing Petra Schersing East German sprinter b. 1965 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Petra van Staveren Petra van Staveren Dutch swimmer (born 1966) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Petra, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Petra?

The median living Petra is about 41 years old. Half of all living Petras are between 15 and 62 years old.

How many people named Petra are alive today?

An estimated 9,300 people named Petra are alive in the United States, based on 14,626 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Petra mean?

Ultimately from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra, “rock”).

How popular is the name Petra in 2025?

Petra ranked #1,372 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 161 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Petra?

14,626 babies have been named Petra in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Petra most popular?

Petra peaked in 1927, when 205 newborns received the name.

Is Petra a boy or girl name?

Petra is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Petra rising or falling?

Petra has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Petra become more popular?

Petra looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 161 girls named Petra in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Petra?

Well-known people named Petra include Petra Kvitová (tennis player), Petra Marklund (singer), Petra Němcová (model).

Names like Petra

Names that sound and feel close to Petra: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Petra with similar names → More names starting with P →