Petra

PET-rah

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The name Petra means “rock, stone.” It comes from the Latin language tradition.

Petra is the feminine form of Peter, from the Greek 'petros' meaning rock. It is also the name of the ancient Nabataean city carved from rose-red sandstone in Jordan, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The name has a solid, grounded quality with adventurous geographic allure and cross-cultural appeal.

Wiktionary and Wikipedia agree Petra is a feminine form of Peter, derived from the Greek word for stone or rock, transliterated petra; one Wiktionary entry notes it is identical with a Late Latin word for stone, and Wikipedia notes it is used, rarely, as a given name across a long list of European countries and in Latin America. A separate Wiktionary entry describes a distinct, later-borrowed Petra taken up in the 20th century, considered the feminine equivalent of Petri and cognate with Piia, a different strand from the Peter-derived name.

One Wiktionary entry dates the Peter-derived Petra's regular use to the 19th century. Nothing in the retrieved sources discusses the Jordanian city of Petra, so that association given elsewhere is not addressed here.

• Petra Kvitova (Czech tennis champion)
• Petra (ancient city in Jordan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Sibling names that share Petra's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.