2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Perotto
A surname with Italian origins, possibly derived from a diminutive form of Piero.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Perotto. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Perotto 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Perotto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Perotto, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Perotto
The surname Perotto originated in Italy, specifically in the northern regions of Piedmont and Lombardy. It is derived from the Italian word "perotto," which means "little stone" or "pebble." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a rocky or stony area.
The earliest recorded instances of the Perotto surname date back to the 13th century, with several mentions found in historical records from the cities of Turin and Milan. One notable example is a document from 1284 that refers to a certain "Giovannino Perotto" from the town of Chieri, near Turin.
During the Middle Ages, the Perotto family was well-established in the Piedmont region, with several members holding positions of importance in local government and the Church. In the 14th century, a man named Guglielmo Perotto (1290-1356) served as a magistrate in the city of Asti.
As the Perotto family spread throughout Italy, variations in spelling emerged, including Perrotto, Perotty, and Perotti. One famous bearer of this surname was Niccolò Perotti (1429-1480), a renowned Italian humanist, scholar, and bishop of Siponto.
In the 16th century, the Perotto name appeared in the records of the Republic of Venice, where a merchant named Giovanni Battista Perotto (1510-1572) achieved significant wealth and influence in the city's thriving trade networks.
Another notable figure was Pietro Perotto (1572-1642), a Jesuit priest and mathematician from Piedmont. He was renowned for his work on optics and published several treatises on the subject during his lifetime.
Over the centuries, the Perotto surname has also been found in other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and intermarriage. For instance, in the 18th century, a French nobleman named François Perotto (1735-1812) served as a military officer under Napoleon Bonaparte.
While the Perotto name has its roots in Italy, it has since become more widely dispersed, with bearers of this surname found in various countries around the world. However, the historical origins and significance of this name can be traced back to the northern Italian regions of Piedmont and Lombardy, where it first emerged centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Perotto
Among Census respondents with the surname Perotto, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Perotto 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 Perotto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Perotto
Perotto 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+8 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,124 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,787 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 1,124 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 1,787 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 Perotto 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 | #150,452 | #148,665 | 1.2% |
| Count | 109 | 111 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Perotto bearers went from 109 to 111 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 1,787 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #148,665.
FAQ
Perotto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Perotto?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Perotto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Perotto?
Perotto ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Perotto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Perotto.
Has Perotto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Perotto went from 109 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Perotto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Perotto, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%). 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 Perotto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Perotto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (7.2%). 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 Perotto (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 Perotto mean?
A surname with Italian origins, possibly derived from a diminutive form of Piero. 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 Perotto (0.04 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 Perotto?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Perotto on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.