2000
#2,085
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,958
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.92
Uncommon Last name
Perdue
Lost, vanished, or missing person, from the Old French "perdu" meaning "lost."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,727 Americans carry the last name Perdue. That puts it at #2,299 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,335 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Perdue 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 Perdue with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,335
Census rank
#2,299
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,459 bearers of the surname Perdue in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2299th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Perdue, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Perdue
The surname Perdue has its origins in France, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "perdu," meaning "lost" or "wandering." This name may have been bestowed upon someone who had become displaced or had wandered from their original home.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Perdue can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property compiled in 1086 under the reign of William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book includes references to individuals with the surname Perdue residing in the Norman regions of England.
During the 13th century, the name Perdue appeared in various documents and records across various regions of France. One notable example is Jacques Perdue, a merchant from Normandy who was born in 1245 and played a significant role in establishing trade routes between France and England.
In the 16th century, the Perdue family gained prominence in the region of Champagne, where they owned several vineyards and estates. One of the most renowned members of the family during this period was Étienne Perdue (1512-1583), a renowned winemaker whose techniques and innovations helped to elevate the quality of Champagne wines.
The name Perdue also has ties to several place names in France, such as the village of Perdusac in the Languedoc region, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in certain areas.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the surname Perdue. One such figure was Antoine Perdue (1680-1745), a French explorer who accompanied René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, on his expeditions to the Americas in the late 17th century.
Another prominent individual was Marie-Antoinette Perdue (1755-1793), a French noblewoman and socialite who played a prominent role in the cultural and intellectual circles of pre-revolutionary Paris.
In the field of literature, the name Perdue is associated with the 19th-century French novelist and playwright Émile Perdue (1822-1889), whose works explored themes of love, loss, and societal expectations.
The Perdue family also made their mark in the world of art, with the celebrated painter Jean-Baptiste Perdue (1784-1854) becoming renowned for his landscapes and portraits depicting the rural life of France.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Perdue has been carried by individuals from diverse walks of life, each contributing to the rich tapestry of history and culture in their respective fields and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Perdue
Among Census respondents with the surname Perdue, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Perdue 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 Perdue surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.2% · 11,929
- Black or African American14.2% · 2,199
- Two or more races4.6% · 716
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 443
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 77
Timeline
Historical Census data for Perdue
Perdue 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
#2,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,464
+506 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 5.58
Rank movement Down 126 places
2020
#2,299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,459
-1,005 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 5.17
Rank movement Down 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,085 | 15,958 | 5.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,211 | 16,464 | 5.58 | +506 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 126 places |
| 2020 | #2,299 | 15,459 | 5.17 | -1,005 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 88 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 Perdue 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 | #2,211 | #2,299 | -4.0% |
| Count | 16,464 | 15,459 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.58 | 5.17 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Perdue bearers went from 16,464 to 15,459 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,211 to #2,299.
FAQ
Perdue surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Perdue?
Name Census estimates that about 17,727 living Americans carry the surname Perdue. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,335 residents.
How common is Perdue?
Perdue ranks #2,299 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,459 people with the surname Perdue. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,727), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Perdue.
Has Perdue become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Perdue went from 16,464 recorded bearers to 15,459. That is a decrease of 1,005 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,211 to #2,299.
What does the Census say about the background of Perdue?
Among Census respondents with the surname Perdue, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Perdue in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.2% (11,929 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Perdue appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.2%), Black (14.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Perdue (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 Perdue mean?
Lost, vanished, or missing person, from the Old French "perdu" meaning "lost." 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 Perdue (5.17 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 are called Perdue?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Perdue at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.