2000
#9,563
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Perrault
A French topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a small stone quarry or worked as a stone cutter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,702 Americans carry the last name Perrault. That puts it at #9,618 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,586 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Perrault 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
3.7K
1 in 92,586
Census rank
#9,618
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,228 bearers of the surname Perrault in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9618th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Perrault, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Perrault
The surname PERRAULT originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "perréal," which means "a pear tree." This suggests that the name was likely first adopted by someone who lived near a pear orchard or who worked with pear trees.
The earliest known record of the name PERRAULT can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a collection of medieval charters from the Abbey of Saint-Père in Chartres, France. The name appears in a document dated 1287, referring to a person named Jehan Perrault.
In the 14th century, the name PERRAULT was recorded in the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a registry of citizens in the city of Rouen, Normandy. This suggests that the name was well-established in northern France during this time.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname PERRAULT was Charles Perrault, a 17th-century French author and member of the Académie Française. He is best known for his collection of fairy tales, including "Cinderella," "Little Red Riding Hood," and "Sleeping Beauty." Charles Perrault was born in Paris in 1628 and died in 1703.
Another notable figure with the PERRAULT name was Claude Perrault, an architect and physician who lived in the 17th century. He was responsible for the design of the east wing of the Louvre in Paris and was also a member of the Académie Française. Claude Perrault was born in Paris in 1613 and died in 1688.
In the 18th century, Jacques Perrault, a French historian and genealogist, wrote extensively about the history and origins of French noble families. He was born in Paris in 1677 and died in 1756.
The name PERRAULT also appears in historical records from other parts of France, such as the Provence region. In the 14th century, a man named Peire Perrault was recorded as a landowner in the town of Aix-en-Provence.
Throughout its history, the surname PERRAULT has also been spelled in various ways, including Perault, Perauld, and Perraud. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and variations in pronunciation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Perrault
Among Census respondents with the surname Perrault, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Perrault 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 Perrault surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.4% · 2,564
- Black or African American5.9% · 192
- Two or more races5.8% · 187
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 184
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Perrault
Perrault 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
#10,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,190
+71 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 532 places
2020
#9,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,228
+38 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 477 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,563 | 3,119 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,095 | 3,190 | 1.08 | +71 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 532 places |
| 2020 | #9,618 | 3,228 | 1.08 | +38 bearers (+1.2%) | Up 477 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 Perrault 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 | #10,095 | #9,618 | 4.7% |
| Count | 3,190 | 3,228 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 1.08 | -0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Perrault bearers went from 3,190 to 3,228 (+1.2% change). The surname moved up 477 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,095 to #9,618.
FAQ
Perrault surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Perrault?
Name Census estimates that about 3,702 living Americans carry the surname Perrault. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,586 residents.
How common is Perrault?
Perrault ranks #9,618 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,228 people with the surname Perrault. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,702), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Perrault.
Has Perrault become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Perrault went from 3,190 recorded bearers to 3,228. That is an increase of 38 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,095 to #9,618.
What does the Census say about the background of Perrault?
Among Census respondents with the surname Perrault, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Perrault in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.4% (2,564 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Perrault appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.4%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Perrault (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 Perrault mean?
A French topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a small stone quarry or worked as a stone cutter. 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 Perrault (1.08 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 Perrault?
You can see how many people have the last name Perrault on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.