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

Perfater, 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 Perfater surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Perfater in America

Perfater is the 129047th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Perfater surname appeared 132 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Perfater.

We can also compare 2010 data for Perfater 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 Perfater

The surname PERFATER has its origins in the medieval England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "per" and "fater", meaning "pear" and "maker" or "seller" respectively. Thus, PERFATER likely referred to someone who cultivated or traded pears.

Early references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1189, where one Willelmus Perfater is mentioned as a resident of the village of Winchcombe. The name also appears in the Shropshire Feet of Fines from 1240, indicating its spread across different parts of England.

In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the name was John Perfater, a prosperous merchant from Bristol who exported goods to France and the Low Countries. His name is recorded in the Bristol Port Books of 1349.

During the 15th century, the PERFATER surname can be found in various tax records and land transactions across the counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Oxfordshire. One such record is the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1428, which lists a Thomas Perfater as a landowner in the village of Chipping Campden.

The earliest known spelling variation of the name is "Parfater", which appears in the Court Rolls of Warwickshire in 1509, referring to a yeoman farmer named Robert Parfater from the village of Stratford-upon-Avon.

In the 16th century, a notable figure was William Perfater (1510-1582), a successful merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol. He was involved in the wool trade and was a prominent member of the local guild.

Another individual of note was Richard Perfater (1612-1680), a Puritan clergyman from Oxfordshire who served as the rector of the parish of Kidlington. He was known for his fiery sermons and his support for the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.

Moving into the 17th century, the PERFATER surname appears in various parish records across the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset. One such record is the baptismal register of the village of Lacock in 1637, which lists the birth of a child named John Perfater.

In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was Thomas Perfater (1720-1798), a successful merchant and shipowner from Bristol who traded with the American colonies. His name is recorded in the Bristol Merchant Venturers' Society records from 1765.

As the PERFATER surname spread across England, it also found its way into other parts of the British Isles. In the 19th century, there are records of individuals with this surname residing in Scotland and Ireland, likely due to migration and intermarriage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Perfater

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

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 Perfater 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 Perfater 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 Perfater was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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