Pete

Pete is an English short form of Peter, ultimately from Greek Petros, meaning rock or stone. Peter's biblical history centers on the apostle Simon Peter, whose name connects with an Aramaic word carrying the same meaning. Pete keeps that older name family in a much more compact everyday form.

The shortened form has also become a complete given name, so a Pete does not necessarily have Peter on official records. That distinction can be useful when honoring a relative: some families preserve the formal name, while others choose the familiar form they actually used together. Pete's single syllable and final t give it a brisk sound, but its history reaches back through Peter rather than beginning as a modern invented nickname.