Perrin
A variation of the name Peter, derived from Greek meaning "rock".
Name Census estimates that about 1,866 living Americans carry the first name Perrin. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 76.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Perrin today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Perrin births was 2015 (62 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Perrin. 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.
People living today
1.9K
~ 1 in 183,684 Americans
Peak year
2015
62 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,747
Tracked since 1899
Gender
Gender distribution for Perrin
Perrin is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 2,020 total registrations, 1,546 (76.5%) were male and 474 (23.5%) were female.
Perrin as a male name
- Ranked #3,747 in 2024
- 30 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2007 (47 births)
Perrin as a female name
- Ranked #13,122 in 2023
- 7 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2015 (18 births)
Popularity
Perrin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Perrin from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 526 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Perrin remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Perrin 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 Perrin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Perrins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Perrin, while Utah, Michigan, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Perrin
The name Perrin originates from the French language and has its roots in the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French name "Perrin", which itself stems from the Late Latin name "Petronius". This name can be traced back to the ancient Roman family name "Petro", meaning "rock" or "stone".
The earliest recorded use of the name Perrin dates back to the 12th century in France. In the 13th century, the name appeared in the written records of the Duchy of Normandy, suggesting its popularity among the Norman nobility.
One of the earliest notable individuals bearing this name was Perrin de la Baume, a 14th-century French knight and military leader. He fought in the Hundred Years' War and was awarded the title of Marshal of France in 1368.
Another historical figure with this name was Perrin Leclerc, a 16th-century French Protestant theologian and reformer. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation movement in France and authored several religious texts.
In the 17th century, Perrin Dandin was a French playwright and author known for his comedic works. His play "Les Plaideurs" (The Litigants), a satire on the legal system, was particularly well-received and is still performed today.
Moving into the 19th century, Perrin Maximilien Gaussen was a Swiss Protestant theologian and author. He was a prominent figure in the Evangelical Revival movement and wrote extensively on biblical interpretation and theology.
In more recent times, Perrin Beatty was a Canadian politician who served as the Minister of National Defence and the Minister of National Revenue in the late 20th century. He was also the President and CEO of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters association.
Throughout its history, the name Perrin has maintained a strong presence in French-speaking regions and has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including nobility, religious reformers, authors, and politicians.
People
Perrin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Perrin 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
Perrin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Perrin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,866 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Perrin 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 183,684 US residents.
Is Perrin a common name?
We classify Perrin as "Rare". It ranks above 93.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,020 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Perrin most popular?
The single biggest year for Perrin was 2015, when 62 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Perrin is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Perrin a male name?
Yes, 76.5% of people registered as Perrin 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.