2000
#7,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,355
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Perreault
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of leggings or gaiters.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,725 Americans carry the last name Perreault. That puts it at #7,740 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,541 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Perreault 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
4.7K
1 in 72,541
Census rank
#7,740
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,120 bearers of the surname Perreault in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7740th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Perreault, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Perreault
The surname Perreault is of French origin, and it can be traced back to medieval times in the northern regions of France, particularly in the areas around Paris and Normandy. The name is derived from the Old French word "perrel," which means "small rock" or "pebble." This suggests that the name may have been originally a descriptive surname given to someone who lived near a rocky area or worked with stones.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Perreault name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of land ownership and taxation compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a certain "Robertus Perelius" as a landowner in the county of Lincolnshire, England. This indicates that the name had already spread beyond France by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, historical records mention a nobleman named Jean Perreault, who served as a knight under the French king Louis IX. Jean Perreault is believed to have participated in the Seventh Crusade, which took place between 1248 and 1254.
During the 16th century, the Perreault name gained prominence in the region of Normandy, where several families bearing this surname were involved in the textile trade and held positions of local importance. One notable figure from this era was Jacques Perreault (1525-1588), a merchant and alderman in the city of Rouen.
The 17th century saw the Perreault name spread further across Europe, with some families migrating to the New World. In 1638, a man named Pierre Perreault (1612-1678) arrived in the French colony of Canada, where he became one of the earliest settlers in the region of Quebec.
Another significant figure bearing the Perreault name was François-Marie Perreault (1753-1844), a French Catholic priest and writer who lived during the time of the French Revolution. He was known for his works on religious philosophy and his opposition to the revolutionary ideals of the time.
As the Perreault name continued to spread throughout the centuries, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Perault, Perrault, and Perreau. Despite these variations, the name has maintained its French roots and continues to be a prominent surname in many parts of the world, particularly in France, Canada, and other regions with significant French-speaking populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Perreault
Among Census respondents with the surname Perreault, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Perreault 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 Perreault surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 3,798
- Two or more races3.5% · 144
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 118
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 32
- Black or African American0.4% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Perreault
Perreault 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
#7,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,420
+65 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 444 places
2020
#7,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,120
-300 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 212 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,084 | 4,355 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,528 | 4,420 | 1.50 | +65 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 444 places |
| 2020 | #7,740 | 4,120 | 1.38 | -300 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 212 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 Perreault 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 | #7,528 | #7,740 | -2.8% |
| Count | 4,420 | 4,120 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.50 | 1.38 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Perreault bearers went from 4,420 to 4,120 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 212 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,528 to #7,740.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Perreault
FAQ
Perreault surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Perreault?
Name Census estimates that about 4,725 living Americans carry the surname Perreault. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,541 residents.
How common is Perreault?
Perreault ranks #7,740 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 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 4,120 people with the surname Perreault. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,725), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 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 Perreault.
Has Perreault become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Perreault went from 4,420 recorded bearers to 4,120. That is a decrease of 300 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,528 to #7,740.
What does the Census say about the background of Perreault?
Among Census respondents with the surname Perreault, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Perreault in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (3,798 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Perreault appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Perreault (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 Perreault mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of leggings or gaiters. 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 Perreault (1.38 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 share the surname Perreault?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.