2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Perou
A French surname derived from the demonym Péruvien, meaning "Peruvian" or "from Peru".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Perou. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Perou 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Perou in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Perou, the largest self-reported group is Black at 41.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.7%) and White (23.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Perou
Among Census respondents with the surname Perou, the largest self-reported group is Black at 41.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.7%) and White (23.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Perou 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 Perou surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American41.9% · 44
- Hispanic or Latino26.7% · 28
- White23.8% · 25
- Two or more races7.6% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Perou
Perou appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,918 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 1,918 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 Perou 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 | #154,907 | #152,989 | 1.2% |
| Count | 105 | 105 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Perou bearers went from 105 to 105 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 1,918 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #152,989.
FAQ
Perou surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Perou?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Perou. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Perou?
Perou ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Perou. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Perou.
Has Perou become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Perou went from 105 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Perou?
Among Census respondents with the surname Perou, the largest self-reported group is Black at 41.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.7%) and White (23.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Perou in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.9% (44 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Perou appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (41.9%), Hispanic (26.7%), White (23.8%). 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 Perou (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 Perou mean?
A French surname derived from the demonym Péruvien, meaning "Peruvian" or "from Peru". 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 Perou (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 are called Perou?
You can see how many people are called Perou on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.