Pekka

Medieval vernacular form of the Vulgate Latin Petrus (“Peter”). In eastern Finland partly from the Russian pet form Петька (Petʹka), but also variant of the older Pekko.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpekːɑ/, [ˈpe̞kːɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ekːɑ
• Syllabification^(key): Pek‧ka

Pekka

1. a male given name
   • 1973, Juhani Peltonen, Valaan merkkejä, WSOY, →ISBN, page 15:

     Jos saa esimerkiksi pojan ja aikoo antaa sille aivan tavallisen reilun nimen kuten Pekka tai Kalle tai Erkki, niin muistaa heti jonkun Pekan joka jo kansakoulussa oli päätä pitempi muita, ampui ritsalla lähimmäisiä, heitteli kissoja kaivoihin ja omisti valtavat syyläiset nyrkit, joista sai niin turpiin, että mustelmat on helliä vieläkin. Entäs Kalle, joka ( - - - ). Ei, Pekka, Kalle tai Erkki eivät voi tulla edes ehdokkaiksi, kun nimeä ruvetaan valitsemaan.

     If you get a son and intend to give him a normal proper name like Pekka or Kalle or Erkki, you get reminded of some Pekka who already in primary school was a head taller than the rest, shot at others with his slingshot, tossed cats down wells and had huge warty fists that would really whoop you so that you could still feel the bruises. Or what about Kalle, who ( - - - (. No, Pekka, Kalle or Erkki would not even be in question when it came to the name.

2. (card games) old maid, Old Maid (unpaired card in the children's card game of "Pekka-peli", similar to "old maid")

• In continuous use since the Middle Ages. Also a common second part in conjoined names like Jukka-Pekka and Veli-Pekka in the 20th century.

• (old maid): Musta Pekka (dated, politically incorrect)

• (male given names) Peetu, Pekko, Petri, Petteri, Pietari
• (female given names) Petra
• (surnames) Pehkonen, Pekkala, Pekkanen, Pekkarinen, Pekkola, Pellikka, Pellinen, Pesonen, Pietarinen, Pietikäinen, Pietilä, Pietiläinen, Pärssinen

• Pekka is the 11^th most common male given name in Finland, belonging to 30,603 male individuals (and as a middle name to 45,930 more), according to February 2023 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.