Perman
Noble protector or defender.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Perman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Perman today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Perman births was 1920 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Perman. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Perman is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Permans were born before 1968.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Perman. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1920
7 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
1954 SSA rank
#3,387
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Perman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Perman from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 12 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Perman remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Perman by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Perman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Perman
The name Perman has its origins in the ancient Persian language, tracing back to the 6th century BCE during the Achaemenid Empire. It is derived from the Old Persian words "per" meaning "brave" and "man" meaning "person" or "man". The combination of these words suggests a meaning of "brave person" or "valiant warrior".
In ancient Persian texts and inscriptions, the name Perman was often used to refer to noble warriors and valiant soldiers who displayed exceptional courage in battle. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Behistun Inscription, a multi-lingual inscription commissioned by the Persian king Darius the Great around 520 BCE, which mentions a warrior named Perman who fought alongside the king.
During the Sassanid Empire, which ruled Persia from the 3rd to the 7th century CE, the name Perman gained further prominence. It was particularly favored among the nobility and military elite. One notable figure from this era was Perman Shapur, a distinguished general who served under the Sassanid king Shapur I in the 3rd century CE.
As the Persian influence spread across the Middle East and Central Asia, the name Perman also found its way into other cultures and languages. In the 9th century, an Arab historian named al-Tabari recorded the exploits of a Persian warrior named Perman who fought against the Arab armies during the Muslim conquest of Persia.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Perman. One example is Perman the Great, a Persian ruler who governed the city of Merv (modern-day Turkmenistan) in the 11th century CE. Another is Perman Khorasani, a celebrated Persian poet who lived in the 12th century CE and is known for his contributions to the Ghaznavid literary tradition.
In the 14th century, a Kurdish military leader named Perman Beg played a significant role in the struggles between the Jalayirid and Timurid dynasties in Persia. He was renowned for his strategic prowess and led several successful campaigns against the armies of Timur the Lame.
While the name Perman has its roots in ancient Persia, it has also been adopted and adapted in other cultures over time. For instance, in the Indian subcontinent, the name has been modified to Parman or Permaan, particularly among the Sikh and Hindu communities.
People
Perman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Perman as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Perman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Perman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Perman going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Perman a common name?
We classify Perman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 24 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Perman most popular?
The single biggest year for Perman was 1920, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Perman is about 68 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Perman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Perman in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.