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

Perou, 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 Perou surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Perou in America

Perou is the 154907th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Perou surname appeared 105 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 Perou.

The history of the last name Perou

The surname PEROU has its origins in France, first appearing around the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old French words "per" meaning "rock" or "stone" and "ou" meaning "where", suggesting it may have originally referred to someone who lived near a rocky area or a stony place.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartulaire de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval cartulary from the 12th century, which mentions a certain Petrus de Perou. This suggests the name was already established in the region of Chartres, in northern France, by that time.

The name PEROU is also closely associated with the town of Perou in Burgundy, France. It is believed that some individuals may have taken their surname from this place name, which itself likely originated from the Old French words mentioned earlier.

In the 13th century, the name PEROU appeared in the Livre des Bourgeois de Reims, a record of the citizens of Reims, with an entry for a Jehan Perou. This indicates the name had spread to other regions of France by that point.

One notable figure with the surname PEROU was Étienne PEROU, a 16th century French priest and theologian born in Normandy around 1530. He was known for his writings on religious topics and served as a canon of the cathedral of Rouen.

Another individual of note was Pierre PEROU, a French merchant and explorer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known to have traveled to the Americas and even founded a trading post in present-day Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1604.

In the 18th century, Jacques PEROU, born in 1712 in Burgundy, was a successful vineyard owner and winemaker. His family's vineyards were renowned for their high-quality wines, and his descendants continued the family business for several generations.

The name PEROU also appeared in the French nobility, with Jean-Baptiste PEROU, born in 1775, serving as a cavalry officer in the French army during the Napoleonic Wars. He was awarded the Légion d'honneur for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.

Finally, one of the more recent notable individuals with the surname was Marie PEROU, a French painter and artist born in 1892 in Paris. She was known for her Impressionist-style paintings of landscapes and scenes from everyday life, and her works were exhibited in several galleries across France during her lifetime.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Perou

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

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 Perou 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.

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

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

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