2000
#10,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,656
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Perillo
Derived from the Italian word "perillo" meaning "pear tree," likely referring to someone who lived near or cultivated pear trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,408 Americans carry the last name Perillo. That puts it at #13,787 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,340 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Perillo 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
2.4K
1 in 142,340
Census rank
#13,787
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,100 bearers of the surname Perillo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13787th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Perillo, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Perillo
The surname Perillo is of Italian origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated in Southern Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania and Calabria. The name is derived from the Italian word "perillo," which means "small pear."
During the Middle Ages, it was common for surnames to be derived from nicknames or physical characteristics. The surname Perillo was likely given to someone who bore a resemblance to a small pear, either in their appearance or personality traits. Alternatively, it could have been a reference to someone who cultivated or traded in pears.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Perillo can be found in Italian historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, a record from the city of Naples in 1275 mentions a person named Giulio Perillo, who was a merchant involved in the trade of fruits and vegetables.
Another notable early bearer of the surname was Francesco Perillo, a 14th-century Neapolitan artist renowned for his intricate fresco paintings adorning the walls of several churches in the region. His works, particularly those in the Church of San Lorenzo Maggiore in Naples, are considered masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance.
In the 16th century, the surname Perillo appeared in the historical records of the town of Cosenza in Calabria. A notable figure was Tommaso Perillo, a prominent lawyer and judge who played a significant role in the legal reforms of the region during that time.
During the 17th century, a family of Perillo silversmiths gained recognition for their exquisite craftsmanship in Naples. Their intricate silver pieces were highly sought after by the nobility and the wealthy, and their creations can still be found in museums and private collections.
Another noteworthy individual was Giuseppe Perillo, an 18th-century Italian composer and musician from Naples. His compositions, particularly his operas and chamber music, were renowned throughout Italy and Europe during his lifetime.
As the centuries passed, the Perillo surname spread across various regions of Italy and beyond, with descendants carrying the name to other parts of the world through migration and exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Perillo
Among Census respondents with the surname Perillo, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Perillo 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 Perillo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 1,856
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 75
- Two or more races2.5% · 52
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Perillo
Perillo 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
#11,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,698
+42 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 638 places
2020
#13,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,100
-598 bearers (-22.2%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 2,163 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,986 | 2,656 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,624 | 2,698 | 0.91 | +42 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 638 places |
| 2020 | #13,787 | 2,100 | 0.70 | -598 bearers (-22.2%) | Down 2,163 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 Perillo 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 | #11,624 | #13,787 | -18.6% |
| Count | 2,698 | 2,100 | -22.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.70 | -22.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Perillo bearers went from 2,698 to 2,100 (-22.2% change). The surname moved down 2,163 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,624 to #13,787.
FAQ
Perillo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Perillo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,408 living Americans carry the surname Perillo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,340 residents.
How common is Perillo?
Perillo ranks #13,787 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,100 people with the surname Perillo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,408), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Perillo.
Has Perillo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Perillo went from 2,698 recorded bearers to 2,100. That is a decrease of 598 (-22.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,624 to #13,787.
What does the Census say about the background of Perillo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Perillo, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Perillo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (1,856 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Perillo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Hispanic (5.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Perillo (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 Perillo mean?
Derived from the Italian word "perillo" meaning "pear tree," likely referring to someone who lived near or cultivated pear trees. 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 Perillo (0.70 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 Perillo?
See how common the surname Perillo is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.