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

Perla, 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 Perla surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Perla in America

Perla is the 12541st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Perla surname appeared 2,470 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 Perla.

We can also compare 2010 data for Perla 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 Perla

The surname Perla has its origins in Italy, where it first appeared in the late medieval period. The name is derived from the Italian word "perla," meaning "pearl," which in turn comes from the Latin "perula" or "pirula." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked with pearls or perhaps had a physical characteristic that reminded others of a pearl.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Perla surname can be found in a document from the city of Genoa, dated 1312, which mentions a merchant named Giovanni Perla. In the 15th century, records show a Nicolo Perla holding land near the town of Salerno. The name also appears in various other Italian records from this era, with spellings like Perlae, Perli, and Perlini.

During the Renaissance, a notable figure with the Perla surname was Antonio Perla (1542-1611), a painter from the Venetian Republic who is known for his religious works and portraits. Another noteworthy individual was Girolamo Perla (1573-1638), an Italian mathematician and astronomer who wrote extensively on topics such as optics and mechanics.

In the 17th century, the Perla name can be found in the records of the Republic of Genoa, with several families of that name residing in the city and surrounding areas. One such family produced Giovanni Battista Perla (1647-1725), a Genoese nobleman and patron of the arts who commissioned works from notable artists of the time.

As the Perla surname spread throughout Italy, it also began to appear in other parts of Europe. In the 19th century, a French nobleman named Charles-Henri Perla (1816-1892) achieved some renown as a writer and historian, publishing works on topics such as the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.

Other notable individuals with the Perla surname include Guido Perla (1869-1945), an Italian politician and journalist who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies, and Enrico Perla (1885-1943), an Italian painter and sculptor known for his Futurist works.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Perla

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

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

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

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