Pedro
Meaning of Pedro
Pedro is the Spanish and Portuguese equivalent of Peter, ultimately drawn from the Greek petros, “rock,” a meaning that has anchored the name since the New Testament apostle first carried it across linguistic borders. In the United States, Pedro has charted a remarkably stable middle course: Social Security data show it hovering between the 170th and 400th ranks for well over a century, most recently landing at No. 370 in 2024—a quiet persistence that suggests cultural integration rather than fashion-driven spikes. The name rides on the prestige of several Iberian monarchs (Dom Pedro I of Brazil, Pedro II of Portugal) and the creative cachet of figures such as filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, yet it remains refreshingly unpretentious; choosing it will not, alas, confer an automatic knighthood or a Spanish villa. In English and Spanish alike it is pronounced roughly “PEH-droh,” the medial consonant a soft dental stop in Spanish and a plain /d/ in American speech. For parents seeking a classic with global familiarity, biblical depth, and a track record of steady endurance, Pedro offers a solid—dare one say rock-like—option.
Pronunciation
Spanish
- Pronunced as PEH-droh (/ˈpeðəo/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Pedro
| Jose Pedro Castillo Terrones is a Peruvian politician and former teacher, businessman, and union leader who served as President of Peru from July 2021 until his removal in December 2022. |
| Pedro Almodóvar is a celebrated Spanish filmmaker known for vibrant, irreverent melodramas about desire, identity, family, and LGBTQ lives, earning global acclaim and a cult following. |
| Pedro Martínez - Pedro Martinez is a Dominican American former MLB starting pitcher who played from 1992 to 2009, best known for his Boston Red Sox years from 1998 to 2004. |
| Jose Pedro Balmaceda Pascal is a Chilean American actor who broke out as Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones and as Javier Pena in Narcos and later appeared in The Great Wall and Kingsman The Golden Circle. |
| Pedro Casaldáliga - Pedro Casaldaliga was a Spanish born Brazilian Catholic bishop who led the Territorial Prelature of Sao Felix from 1970 to 2005, became a leading voice of liberation theology, championed indigenous rights, earned the 2006 Catalonia International Prize, and published poetry. |
| Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa was a Spanish adventurer, author, historian, mathematician, and astronomer who in 1580 was appointed by King Philip II as governor of the Strait of Magellan. |
| Pedro Poveda Castroverde - Pedro Poveda, a Spanish Catholic priest and educator who founded the Teresian Association, served over 30 years before his 1936 execution, was beatified in 1993, canonized in 2003, and is honored on 28 July. |
| Pedro Duque is a Spanish astronaut and aeronautical engineer who served as Minister of Science from 2018 to 2021 and as a member of the Congress of Deputies for Alicante from 2019 to 2020. |
| Pedro Nuno is a Portuguese attacking midfielder for Liga I club Otelul Galati. |
| Pedro Suárez-Vértiz - Pedro Suarez Vertiz was a Peruvian singer songwriter and guitarist who founded Arena Hash and later became a legendary solo artist hailed by Billboard as an icon of Peruvian rock. |
| Pedro Felipe Felzenszwalb is a computer scientist and professor at Brown University in the School of Engineering and the Department of Computer Science. |
| Pedro Antonio de Alarcón - Pedro Antonio de Alarcon y Ariza was a nineteenth century Spanish novelist best known for El sombrero de tres picos, a portrait of Andalusian village life that later inspired operas and a celebrated ballet. |
| Mexican racewalker Pedro Daniel Gómez, a 2016 Olympian with a 1:20:05 20 km best, also competed at the 2009 World Championships and three IAAF Race Walking Cups. |
| Pedro José Escalón, born in Santa Ana, El Salvador, married Elena Rodríguez in 1865 and had three children named Dolores, Federico, and Pedro. |
| Pedro Rafael Marin is an American Democratic politician serving in the Georgia House of Representatives since 2003. |
