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

Perlmutter, 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 Perlmutter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Perlmutter in America

Perlmutter is the 17502nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Perlmutter surname appeared 1,610 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 Perlmutter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Perlmutter 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 Perlmutter

The surname PERLMUTTER is of German origin, arising in the Middle Ages. It is a combination of two German words: "Perl" meaning "pearl" and "Mutter" meaning "mother." The name likely referred to an occupation or trade involving pearls, such as a pearl maker, seller, or polisher.

The first recorded instances of the name appear in German church records from the 16th century, with variations in spelling such as "Perlmuter" and "Perlmuther." This indicates the name was already well-established by that time. It was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where pearl fishing and trading were common industries.

In the 17th century, the name appears in official documents from the city of Nuremberg, where a family of PERLMUTTERS were prominent merchants and artisans involved in the pearl trade. One notable member was Hans PERLMUTTER (1624-1698), a master jeweler and gemstone cutter.

As the name spread across Europe, it took on various local spellings and pronunciations. In France, it became "Perlmutré," while in Poland it was rendered as "Perlmutr." The Dutch variation was "Perlmoeder," reflecting the language's influence on the name's evolution.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England is found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Islington, London, where a child named Sarah PERLMUTTER was baptized in 1712. This suggests that the name had already been carried to England by German immigrants by the early 18th century.

Another prominent figure bearing this surname was Friedrich PERLMUTTER (1783-1856), a German philosopher and academic who taught at the University of Berlin. His works on ethics and moral philosophy were widely studied in his time.

In the 19th century, the name gained further recognition through the achievements of composer and violinist Johann PERLMUTTER (1822-1894), who was a respected figure in the musical circles of Vienna.

As the centuries progressed, the name PERLMUTTER continued to spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, carried by waves of immigration. However, its origins can be firmly traced back to the German-speaking regions of Central Europe and the pearl-related trades that gave rise to this distinctive surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Perlmutter

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

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

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

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