Pete

A truncated form of Peter, deriving from the Greek Petros, meaning stone or rock. While historically treated as an everyday spoken diminutive, American parents began registering it as a standalone legal name on birth certificates in the late nineteenth century. It settled into steady use through the mid-twentieth century before declining sharply.

The name reads as someone who bypassed the formalities of Peter from birth. It brings to mind an uncle who owns a well-organized pegboard of hand tools and offers advice unprompted. With an average bearer age of fifty-eight, the name belongs largely to the era of transistor radios and neighborhood Little League teams. He is unlikely to own a garment that requires dry cleaning.