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Per as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Per

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The baby name Per is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /peːr/ (Swedish/Norwegian); English approximation: /pɛr/ ("pair").

Per is Scandinavian in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 1.0
Origin: Scandinavian
Pronunciation: /peːr/ (Swedish/Norwegian); English approximation: /pɛr/ ("pair")

What is the meaning of the name Per ?

The baby name Per is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /peːr/ (Swedish/Norwegian); English approximation: /pɛr/ ("pair").

Per is Scandinavian in Origin.

Per is the common Scandinavian form of Peter, from Greek Petros meaning rock or stone, itself rendering the Aramaic Kepha. Used across Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, Per stands alone or serves as a short form of Peder, the medieval Nordic reflex of Peter. Its meaning evokes steadiness and reliability.

Recorded in Nordic sources from the Middle Ages with the spread of Christianity, Per entrenched itself in parish rolls and peaked in Sweden in the mid-20th century; today it feels classic and unfussy. Variants and related forms include Swedish Pehr (archaic), Pär, and the diminutive Pelle; Norwegian/Danish Peer and Peder; plus broader cognates Peter, Petr, Pieter, Petar, Pierre, Piero, and the Slavic diminutive Pero. Usage remains steady across the Nordic countries and occasionally appears elsewhere through cultural exchange.

Per has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Per

Per Albin Hansson Politician · Born 1885 · Sweden Per Albin Hansson was best known as Sweden’s prime minister from 1932 until his death in 1946. A leading Swedish politician and statesman, he became head of the Social Democratic Party in 1925 and served as a member of the Riksdag representing Stockholm from 1918 to 1946.

Per – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
FJ Boys 0 #17 1 603
DK Boys 0 #22 2,134 7,401
DK 0 #49 263 5,198
LU 0 #65 2 2,830
AL 0 #75 2 2,372
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
MV Boys 0 #79 1 3,375
LT 0 #88 1 949
JM 0 #93 1 3,714
AF Girls 0 #94 1 2,402
Norway Boys 2025 #99 38 444
BN Girls 0 #113 2 5,459
EE Boys 0 #125 1 2,087
AZ Boys 0 #130 2 1,400
CY Boys 0 #131 1 3,473
LT Boys 0 #151 1 2,166
RS Boys 0 #154 1 2,277
HU Boys 0 #173 2 3,954
MT Boys 0 #175 5 4,064
SI Girls 0 #177 1 2,769
Sweden Boys 2022 #180 3 1,509
AE 0 #184 4 10,220
SI Boys 0 #206 6 3,402
LU Boys 0 #214 7 4,970
BG Boys 0 #220 1 3,850
AL Girls 0 #224 4 4,141
MO Boys 0 #233 2 5,842
NA Girls 0 #237 1 7,146
BD 0 #240 2 5,992
GH 0 #247 2 5,396
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
NA Boys 0 #253 1 6,830
TW Boys 0 #253 4 7,111
Finland Boys 2026 #263 1,067 3,552
GR Boys 0 #272 2 6,912
AF Boys 0 #274 1 3,535
SG 0 #277 6 11,010
AL Boys 0 #280 19 5,122
KZ Boys 0 #293 4 6,578
Finland 0 #298 10 830
JP Boys 0 #300 4 7,909
CZ Boys 0 #301 5 6,530
SA 0 #311 2 10,560
DK Girls 0 #327 3 7,429
CN Boys 0 #328 4 9,639
PE 0 #328 2 6,350
PL Boys 0 #334 7 6,459
GH Girls 0 #335 3 6,973
QA Girls 0 #343 1 15,378
MY 0 #353 2 12,352
HK 0 #355 3 8,483
CN Girls 0 #357 3 8,829
SD Girls 0 #357 2 7,678
GH Boys 0 #359 3 8,138
BR 0 #360 1 5,969
PL Girls 0 #360 5 5,096
Finland Boys 0 #366 62 2,041
MU Boys 0 #366 4 8,477
PT Boys 0 #375 7 7,951
NL 0 #382 10 2,481
PH Boys 0 #401 8 11,440
BD Girls 0 #406 1 8,413
EG 0 #408 5 6,387
Germany 0 #410 28 2,542
UY Boys 0 #412 2 5,922
OM Girls 0 #424 1 15,987
PH Girls 0 #426 4 13,098
CL 0 #434 1 6,867
MX 0 #441 5 8,339
Spain 0 #442 11 2,326
ZA 0 #471 4 14,421
AR Boys 0 #482 2 7,628
GT Boys 0 #498 2 7,625
PA Boys 0 #504 2 9,305
CR Boys 0 #507 4 10,188
HK Boys 0 #516 12 12,905
IQ Girls 0 #519 7 11,303
RU Boys 0 #520 7 12,621
RU Girls 0 #522 2 11,913
UY Girls 0 #535 2 6,731
IR Boys 0 #538 15 10,162
IR Girls 0 #541 5 8,334
LY 0 #558 2 12,703
KW Girls 0 #559 3 19,177
CM Girls 0 #560 1 11,671
PS Boys 0 #561 1 10,655
CM Boys 0 #569 7 12,054
CR Girls 0 #569 5 11,342
BH 0 #586 2 17,937
AR Girls 0 #589 11 8,289
AE Girls 0 #597 1 20,968
BD Boys 0 #598 8 10,045
BO Boys 0 #616 7 9,244
IL Boys 0 #623 3 10,983
SG Girls 0 #625 8 18,916
IL Girls 0 #643 3 11,648
HK Girls 0 #645 6 16,104
IQ Boys 0 #648 20 13,071
IN Girls 0 #652 3 13,121
SG Boys 0 #677 21 17,960
IT 0 #689 26 4,183
LB 0 #689 2 13,263
CL Boys 0 #693 8 13,390
QA Boys 0 #735 9 18,093
BR Boys 0 #784 2 12,213
TN 0 #795 35 13,765
KW Boys 0 #801 6 18,755
Germany Girls 0 #822 17 4,949
Germany Boys 0 #822 131 5,697
NG Girls 0 #825 2 15,093
PE Boys 0 #828 51 14,506
NL Boys 0 #840 112 5,873
EG Boys 0 #862 25 15,035
OM Boys 0 #868 14 17,948
Spain Boys 0 #875 56 5,610
United States Boys 2020 #894 5 7,187
CL Girls 0 #908 8 14,098
SA Girls 0 #920 16 25,931
EG Girls 0 #941 19 14,742
MY Girls 0 #968 27 24,821
MX Boys 0 #969 14 16,355
CO Boys 0 #973 9 15,656
IN Boys 0 #988 14 16,750
BR Girls 0 #991 2 12,708
NG Boys 0 #996 6 16,906
PE Girls 0 #1,006 5 14,861
DZ 0 #1,028 149 20,130
MY Boys 0 #1,060 52 25,439
AE Boys 0 #1,067 26 22,615
MA 0 #1,068 61 20,986
MX Girls 0 #1,120 64 17,781
CO Girls 0 #1,145 8 16,140
ZA Boys 0 #1,164 15 25,619
TR 0 #1,193 19 19,440
ZA Girls 0 #1,229 8 25,928
IT Boys 0 #1,355 117 10,046
IT Girls 0 #1,398 49 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,514 101 28,008

Per is popular in 77 countries — most recent births per country:

Norway
Sweden
United States
AE
AF

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People also ask about Per

Per is predominantly a boy's name.
Per is a one syllable name, pronounced /peːr/ (Swedish/Norwegian); English approximation: /pɛr/ ("pair").
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Pär, Pehr, Peer, Peder and Pelle.
Yes, very popular — Per ranked #99 in Norway in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 4 countries.
Per ranks highest in Norway (#99 in 2025).
Per's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #114 in 2015 to #99 in 2025 in Norway.
Yes — 1 notable people named Per are in our database, including Per Albin Hansson (Politician).