Peter is a common masculine given name. It is derived directly from Greek Πέτρος, Petros, which itself was a translation of Aramaic Kefa, the new name Jesus gave to apostle Simon Bar-Jona. An Old English variant is Piers.

A given name is the part of a personal name that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group who have a common surname. The term given name refers to a name usually bestowed at or close to the time of birth, usually by the parents of the newborn. A Christian name is the first name which is given at baptism, in Christian custom.