Petra

Peter has seen use among English-speakers for centuries. Its lesser known feminine counterpart, Petra has a slightly different story.

Like Peter, Petra comes from the Ancient Greek "petros", meaning "rock. It also connects to the ancient rock city in what is now Jordan. As a given name, it did not emerge until around the nineteenth century. 

In the United States, Petra ranked most years between 1881 and 1973. It left the charts without ever making the top 400. However, Petra has seen more use in other languages. It is currently or has recently been popular in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, Bosnia, and Herzegovina. Petra also had some notable bearers, including the nineteenth century Blessed Petra of Saint Joseph Perez Florido and tennis player Petra Kvitová.

As a feminization of Peter, Petra could easily be just as classic. It is, except that it has always been more common in other languages. That prevents Petra from having the same classic feel as Clara and Rosa. Either way, Petra makes for a rare timeless name that is not boring. 

STYLES:

Classic, Germanic, Underused

SISTERS:

Clarice, Elsa, Ione, Martina, Sybil, Willa

BROTHERS:

Anton, Clement, Hugh, Lars, Porter, Theo

ALTERNATIVES:

Audra, Fenna, Maret, Phila, Portia, Tamsin 

What do you think about Petra? Do you consider it classic?