Find out how popular the last name Percy is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Percy.

Percy, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Percy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Percy in America

Percy is the 7837th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Percy surname appeared 4,226 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Percy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Percy to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Percy

The surname Percy has its origins in England, tracing back to the time of the Norman Conquest in the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "percy," which means a place where pear trees grow. This surname was likely adopted by someone who lived near or owned land with a pear orchard.

The Percy family was among the most powerful noble families in medieval England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Percy." The family held extensive lands and titles, including the earldom of Northumberland.

William de Percy, born around 1030, was one of the companions of William the Conqueror during the Norman invasion of England in 1066. He was rewarded with vast estates in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire for his service.

Henry Percy, also known as Harry Hotspur (1364-1403), was a renowned English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War. He played a significant role in the Percy family's rebellion against King Henry IV, which ultimately led to his death at the Battle of Shrewsbury.

Another notable figure with this surname was Thomas Percy (1729-1811), an English bishop and antiquarian. He was best known for his work, "Reliques of Ancient English Poetry," which helped revive interest in traditional English ballads and folk songs.

Sir Ralph Percy (1425-1464), an English nobleman and military commander, fought alongside the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses. He was killed at the Battle of Hedgeley Moor in 1464.

William Percy (1575-1648), known as the "Gunpowder Plotter," was one of the conspirators in the famous Gunpowder Plot of 1605, an attempt to assassinate King James I of England and VI of Scotland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Percy

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Percy.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Percy was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Percy has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Percy was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Percy, please contact us.

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