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

Perritt, 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 Perritt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Perritt in America

Perritt is the 20348th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Perritt surname appeared 1,306 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 Perritt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Perritt to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Perritt

The surname Perritt is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, possibly as early as the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "perree," which means a stony or rocky area, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked in a quarry or rocky terrain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Perritt can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1273, where it appears as "Perret." This document lists a person by that name as being responsible for paying a tax or fine to the local authorities.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms such as "Perrot," "Perrott," and "Perret" in various records across different regions of England, including Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. This suggests that the name had spread to various parts of the country by that time.

One notable historical figure bearing the name Perritt was Sir John Perritt, a member of the English gentry who lived in the late 16th century. He was a landowner and served as a Justice of the Peace in Wiltshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Another prominent individual was Thomas Perritt, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in Norfolk during the 17th century. He is recorded as having been involved in the wool trade and owning substantial property in the area around Norwich.

In the 18th century, the name Perritt can be found in the parish records of several villages in Oxfordshire, including Shiplake and Kidmore End. One notable person from this period was William Perritt, a farmer and landowner who lived in the village of Goring-on-Thames in the late 1700s.

Moving into the 19th century, the Perritt surname appears to have been particularly prevalent in the counties of Wiltshire and Somerset. One individual of note was John Perritt, a prominent Baptist minister who served as the pastor of a church in Frome, Somerset, from 1832 until his death in 1868.

Another significant figure was Henry Perritt, a successful businessman and philanthropist who lived in Bath, Somerset, during the latter half of the 19th century. He made his fortune in the textile industry and donated generously to various charitable causes in the city.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Perritt

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

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 Perritt 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Perritt has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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

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

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