Perri
A Persian name meaning "fairy" or "pixie".
Name Census estimates that about 2,270 living Americans carry the first name Perri. It is a predominantly female name (95.5% of registrations). The average person named Perri today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Perri births was 1958 (133 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Perri. 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
- • Although Perri is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 114 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
2.3K
~ 1 in 150,993 Americans
Peak year
1958
133 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2012 SSA rank
#3,675
Tracked since 1942
Gender
Gender distribution for Perri
Perri leans heavily female at 95.5% of total registrations, but 114 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Perri as a male name
- Ranked #13,707 in 2012
- 5 male births in 2012
- Peak: 1960 (17 births)
Perri as a female name
- Ranked #3,675 in 2024
- 42 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1958 (119 births)
Popularity
Perri: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Perri from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 493 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1960s peak, Perri remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Perri 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 Perri during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Perris live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. New York, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Perri, while Oklahoma, Indiana, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 47 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Perri
The name Perri has its origins in the Latin language and can be traced back to ancient Roman times. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "petra", which means "rock" or "stone". This connection suggests that the name may have been originally given to individuals who lived in rocky or mountainous regions, or who were known for their strength and resilience.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Perri can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who lived in the 1st century AD. In his work "Annals", he mentions a Roman soldier named Perri who was part of the imperial guard during the reign of Emperor Nero.
During the Middle Ages, the name Perri gained popularity among Christian communities, particularly in Italy and France. It is believed that some families may have chosen this name for their children as a nod to the biblical reference of St. Peter, whose name also derives from the Greek word "petros", meaning "rock".
In the 12th century, a French nobleman named Perri de Montfort was a prominent figure in the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars in southern France. He was known for his military prowess and played a significant role in the capture of the city of Béziers in 1209.
During the Renaissance period, the name Perri was associated with several notable artists and scholars. One such individual was Perri della Francesca, an Italian painter and mathematician who lived from 1415 to 1492. He is renowned for his pioneering work in the field of perspective and his masterpiece, the fresco cycle in the Basilica of San Francesco in Arezzo.
In the 18th century, Perri Curie was a French philosopher and writer who was born in 1717. He is best known for his work "Dictionnaire des Sciences Philosophiques" (Dictionary of Philosophical Sciences), which was a comprehensive encyclopedia of philosophical concepts and ideas.
Another notable figure with the name Perri was Perri Bausch, a German dancer and choreographer who lived from 1940 to 2009. She was the founder of the Tanztheater Wuppertal, a dance company known for its innovative and avant-garde productions.
While the name Perri has its roots in ancient Roman and Latin cultures, it has since been adopted and used by various communities around the world, each adding their own cultural significance and meaning to the name.
People
Perri + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Perri 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
Perri: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Perri?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,270 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Perri 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 150,993 US residents.
Is Perri a common name?
We classify Perri as "Rare". It ranks above 94.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,536 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Perri most popular?
The single biggest year for Perri was 1958, when 133 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Perri is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Perri a female name?
Yes, 95.5% of people registered as Perri in the SSA data are female. 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.