From Porter to Patricia to Parker, baby names that start with the letter P are vast and and vivacious. Here’s a great list of options to get you started on your journey to finding the perfect name for your little one.
- Patrice
- Portia — Portia as a given name was popularized by William Shakespeare. While the character of Portia in “The Merchant of Venice” is well known, Shakespeare used the name again in his play “Julius Caesar” as the name of the wife of Brutus.
- Perseus — Perseus is a name used often in astronomy, but it's most commonly associated with a constellation. Perseus sits in the northern sky, and it's one of the 48 ancient constellations mentioned by the astronomer Ptolemy.
- Paizlee — Paizlee, as mentioned, is a variation of the baby name Paisley. Paisley is also the name of a pattern seen on fabric. It is most popular on bandanas.
- Prudence — Prudence Farrow is the inspiration behind the Beatles song "Dear Prudence." She traveled to India with the band to study Transcendental Meditation.
- Paiton — Paiton as a given name comes from the names Payton and Peyton. It is also the name of a city in southeast Asia.
- Paulo — Paulo periodically ranked among the top 1,000 baby names for boys born in the United States from 1971-1981.
- Payson
- Pia — Pia isn't yet a top 1,000 baby name in the United States, but it's been fairly popular in Europe for decades. It's also a common name in Hindi cultures.
- Paige — Paige as a name comes from the Middle English surname for a page. Becoming a page was the first step in the training to eventually become a knight.
- Patrick
- Preston — Preston is a very popular name in pop culture. It has been used on top shows like "Grey's Anatomy" and "Desperate Housewives," for example.
- Patricio — Patricio ranked among the top 500 names for boys born in Spain for 70 years from 1920-1990. In Chile, the name Patricio underwent a revival during the 21st century. Patricio ranked among the top 100 names for boys born in Chile from 2012-2014. Some etymologists attribute this occurrence to the fame of Chilean politician Patricio Aylwin Azócar.
- Paul — Paul is typically a name used for baby boys, but there are several feminine versions. Paula, Paulette, Pauline and Paulina are some of the most popular.
- Paulette — Paulette was one of several names that came to America from France in the mid-twentieth century. Other options that came with it included Annette and Claudette.
- Piper — Piper as a name owes its popularity in the early 00’s to Piper Halliwell, main character on television show “Charmed” which premiered in 1998.
- Preslie
- Peter — Peter Rabbit is one of the most popular characters named Peter in history. One of the main anthropomorphic characters in Beatrix Potter's books and stories, Peter lives with his mother Josephine Rabbit and his sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail. Potter named the character after her own pet rabbit, Peter Piper.
- Pharaoh
- Pauline
- Pippa — Pippa is more popular in England than in America. It is a top 100 option in the United Kingdom and only on the top 3,300 list in America.
- Paolo — Paolo is a name often associated with famous Italian Renaissance painters, like Paolo Uccello and Paolo Veronese. It was also the name of the son of famous artist Pablo Picasso.
- Pilar
- Paisleigh — Paisleigh may be fairly new to the list of the top 1,000 baby names in the United States, but the original spelling, Paisley, has been on the list since 2006, and as of 2013, it's become a top 100 baby name for girls.
- Penelope — Penelope became a popular baby name after finding use in "The Odyssey" as the name was for the wife of Odysseus. Ever since the sixteenth century, it has remained a popular name for girls.
- Paizley
- Paislee
- Pedro
- Peyton — Peyton means “Pæga’s town” which is a location in Sussex, England. The meaning of the word pæga is unknown.
- Paisley — Paisley is often used as the word for a certain type of fabric. The fabric that is associated with the baby name Paisley, however, actually comes from the same town named Paisley in Scotland that the name comes from.
- Presleigh
- Phoebe — Phoebe is one of the most popular names in popular culture starting with the Bible. In more modern times, Shakespeare used the name Phoebe in "As You Like It." The book "Catcher in the Rye" also had a character of the name, while Phoebe Buffay was in "Friends."
- Phillip — Phillip ranked among the top 500 baby names for boys for over a century from 1900-2018.
- Pablo
- Princeton
- Poppy — Poppy as a name comes from the poppy flower. The poppy flower is the symbol of World War I Remembrance when the flowers were found to bloom across former battlefields in France and Flanders.
- Philip
- Pepper
- Penny
- Priscilla — Priscilla is the name that author J. R. R. Tolkien gave to his only daughter.
- Paxton — Paxton has ranked among the top 300 baby boy names since 2010.
- Persephone — Persephone is the Greek goddess of the underworld and wife of Hades. Persephone ate three pomegranate seeds and then was required to spend three months of the year in Hades. Because her mother, Demeter, is an earth goddess her sorrow at her daughter’s absence causes winter.
- Phineas — There are at least two people named Phineas mentioned in the bible. One is a descendent of Moses.
- Peighton
- Porter — Porter is one of the only surnames that is not used for girls too. It is a single-gender name currently, only seen among boys.
- Paola
- Pierce — Pierce as a given name comes from an English surname that derives from the given name Piers.
- Paris — Paris is often used as a place name inspired by the capital city of France. Since the 1600s, the city has been one of Europe's centers for finance, diplomacy, fashion, food, science and other activities. For this reason, it's often called the "City of Light."
- Prisha
- Perla — Perla first appeared among the top 1,000 baby names for girls as the 993rd most popular name of 1979. It went on to rank among the top 1,000 girl names from 1980-2018. It is also the namesake of the song "Purr La Perla" by Violet Indiana.
And of course, if you'd like to discover more gender-specific names, you can check out baby boy names that start with P and baby girl names that start with P.