2000
#7,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,303
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Perri
Derived from the Italian personal name "Piero," a variant of "Pietro," meaning "rock" or "stone."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,595 Americans carry the last name Perri. That puts it at #7,940 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,593 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Perri 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Perri with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,593
Census rank
#7,940
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,007 bearers of the surname Perri in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7940th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Perri, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Perri
The surname PERRI has its origins in Italy, with historical records dating back to the 12th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Italian word "pera," meaning "pear," suggesting that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who either cultivated or sold pears.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of medieval documents from the Italian city of Bari, where a certain Guglielmo Perri is mentioned in a document dated 1192.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the historical records of the city of Siena, where a family of notaries and public officials bore the name Perri. One notable member was Niccolò di Cecco Perri, a notary and chancellor of the Republic of Siena, who lived between 1320 and 1390.
During the Renaissance period, the name Perri gained prominence in the Italian city-states. In Florence, a family of bankers and merchants known as the Perri were influential in the city's economic and political life. One of the most notable members was Gherardo Perri, a wealthy banker who lived from 1440 to 1512.
The name also appears in various historical records from other parts of Italy, such as the Neapolitan kingdom, where a noble family by the name of Perri held estates and titles. One notable figure from this family was Giambattista Perri, a military commander who fought in the Wars of the Grand Alliance against the Ottoman Empire in the late 17th century (1654-1720).
In the 19th century, the name Perri was associated with several Italian intellectuals and artists. Giuseppe Perri (1817-1892) was a renowned painter and sculptor from Naples, known for his works depicting historical and religious themes. Another notable figure was Vittorio Perri (1824-1889), an Italian politician and journalist who played a significant role in the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification.
As the surname spread throughout Italy and beyond, it took on various spellings and variations, such as Perri, Peri, Pero, and Perrini. However, the core meaning and origin remained tied to the Italian word "pera" and its association with the pear fruit.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Perri
Among Census respondents with the surname Perri, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Perri 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 Perri surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 3,594
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 239
- Two or more races2.3% · 94
- Black or African American1.2% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Perri
Perri 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
#7,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,491
+188 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 258 places
2020
#7,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,007
-484 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 527 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,155 | 4,303 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,413 | 4,491 | 1.52 | +188 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 258 places |
| 2020 | #7,940 | 4,007 | 1.34 | -484 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 527 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 Perri 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 | #7,413 | #7,940 | -7.1% |
| Count | 4,491 | 4,007 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.34 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Perri bearers went from 4,491 to 4,007 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 527 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,413 to #7,940.
FAQ
Perri surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Perri?
Name Census estimates that about 4,595 living Americans carry the surname Perri. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,593 residents.
How common is Perri?
Perri ranks #7,940 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.34 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 4,007 people with the surname Perri. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,595), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.34 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 Perri.
Has Perri become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Perri went from 4,491 recorded bearers to 4,007. That is a decrease of 484 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,413 to #7,940.
What does the Census say about the background of Perri?
Among Census respondents with the surname Perri, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Perri in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (3,594 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Perri appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Perri (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 Perri mean?
Derived from the Italian personal name "Piero," a variant of "Pietro," meaning "rock" or "stone." 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 Perri (1.34 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 Perri?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.