2000
#7,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,015
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Percy
Derived from the French place name "Percy," likely referring to someone who lived near a pear tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,658 Americans carry the last name Percy. That puts it at #7,828 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,584 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Percy 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Percy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 73,584
Census rank
#7,828
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,062 bearers of the surname Percy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7828th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Percy, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Hispanic (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Percy
Among Census respondents with the surname Percy, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Hispanic (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Percy 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 Percy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.5% · 2,661
- Black or African American20.7% · 842
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 266
- Two or more races4.3% · 175
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 47
Timeline
Historical Census data for Percy
Percy 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
#7,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,226
+211 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 206 places
2020
#7,828
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,062
-164 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Up 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,631 | 4,015 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,837 | 4,226 | 1.43 | +211 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 206 places |
| 2020 | #7,828 | 4,062 | 1.36 | -164 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 9 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 Percy 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 | #7,837 | #7,828 | 0.1% |
| Count | 4,226 | 4,062 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.36 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Percy bearers went from 4,226 to 4,062 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,837 to #7,828.
FAQ
Percy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Percy?
Name Census estimates that about 4,658 living Americans carry the surname Percy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,584 residents.
How common is Percy?
Percy ranks #7,828 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.36 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 4,062 people with the surname Percy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,658), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.36 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 Percy.
Has Percy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Percy went from 4,226 recorded bearers to 4,062. That is a decrease of 164 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,837 to #7,828.
What does the Census say about the background of Percy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Percy, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Hispanic (6.5%). 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 Percy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.5% (2,661 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Percy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.5%), Black (20.7%), Hispanic (6.5%). 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 Percy (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 Percy mean?
Derived from the French place name "Percy," likely referring to someone who lived near a pear tree. 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 Percy (1.36 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 Percy?
You can see how common the surname Percy is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.