2000
#103,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Rare Last name
Per
A locative surname referring to someone from a place named Per.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,915 Americans carry the last name Per. That puts it at #11,786 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,583 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Per surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,583
Census rank
#11,786
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,542 bearers of the surname Per in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11786th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Per, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.1%) and Black (14.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Per
The surname PER is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locative name, derived from the Old English word 'pere', meaning 'pear tree'. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname likely lived near a notable pear tree or in an area where pear trees were abundant.
The name PER can be found in various historical records from the 13th century onwards. One of the earliest recorded instances is in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a William Per from Oxfordshire. The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname PER, but it does mention several place names that may have influenced its development, such as Perton in Staffordshire and Pershut in Worcestershire.
In the 14th century, a variant spelling of the name, 'Perre', appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 for Worcestershire, indicating the presence of a John Perre. This spelling may have been influenced by the Middle English word 'perie', also meaning 'pear tree'.
One notable figure from history bearing the surname PER was Thomas Per (c. 1420-1489), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire in the late 15th century. Another was John Per (c. 1460-1520), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Norwich during the reign of Henry VIII.
In the 16th century, the surname PER was found in various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, where a William Per was recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1523. Around the same time, a variant spelling 'Peare' emerged, as evidenced by the presence of a Richard Peare in the Subsidy Rolls of 1524 for Nottinghamshire.
Moving into the 17th century, the surname PER remained relatively uncommon but can be found in various parish records. One notable bearer was Edward Per (c. 1610-1670), a wealthy landowner and sheriff of Oxfordshire in the mid-1600s.
Throughout its history, the surname PER has been associated with several place names, such as Pershore in Worcestershire, Perton in Staffordshire, and Perre in Somerset, which may have influenced its development and spread across different regions of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Per
Among Census respondents with the surname Per, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.1%) and Black (14.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Per bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Per surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White42.7% · 1,086
- Hispanic or Latino30.1% · 765
- Black or African American14.0% · 357
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.0% · 253
- Two or more races1.9% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Per
Per appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#81,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 231
+71 bearers (+44.4%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 21,934 places
2020
#11,786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,542
+2,311 bearers (+1000.4%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 69,986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #103,706 | 160 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #81,772 | 231 | 0.08 | +71 bearers (+44.4%) | Up 21,934 places |
| 2020 | #11,786 | 2,542 | 0.85 | +2,311 bearers (+1000.4%) | Up 69,986 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Per surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #81,772 | #11,786 | 85.6% |
| Count | 231 | 2,542 | 1000.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.85 | 963.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Per bearers went from 231 to 2,542 (+1000.4% change). The surname moved up 69,986 positions in the national ranking, going from #81,772 to #11,786.
FAQ
Per surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Per?
Name Census estimates that about 2,915 living Americans carry the surname Per. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,583 residents.
How common is Per?
Per ranks #11,786 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,542 people with the surname Per. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,915), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Per.
Has Per become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Per went from 231 recorded bearers to 2,542. That is an increase of 2,311 (+1000.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #81,772 to #11,786.
What does the Census say about the background of Per?
Among Census respondents with the surname Per, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.1%) and Black (14.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Per in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.7% (1,086 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Per appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (42.7%), Hispanic (30.1%), Black (14.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Per (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Per mean?
A locative surname referring to someone from a place named Per. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Per (0.85 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Per?
Want to know how common the surname Per is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.