2000
#6,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,568
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.69
Rare Last name
Perron
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a large stone staircase or flight of steps.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,419 Americans carry the last name Perron. That puts it at #6,852 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,250 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Perron 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
5.4K
1 in 63,250
Census rank
#6,852
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,726 bearers of the surname Perron in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6852nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Perron, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Perron
The surname PERRON is of French origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the Old French word "perron," which referred to a flight of steps leading up to the entrance of a building or a raised platform. This name may have been given to someone who lived near a prominent staircase or structure with such steps.
The earliest known record of the surname PERRON dates back to the 12th century in the region of Normandy, France. It is mentioned in the Cartulary of the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, a medieval manuscript that recorded land transactions and other important events in the area.
During the 13th century, the name PERRON appeared in various historical records and documents across northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy, Picardy, and Île-de-France. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include Jacques Perron, a merchant from Rouen who lived in the late 14th century, and Jean Perron, a landowner in the village of Bernay, Normandy, in the early 15th century.
In the 16th century, the PERRON surname gained prominence when Jacques Davy du Perron (1556-1618), a French cardinal and diplomat, rose to become one of the most influential figures in the Catholic Church and the French court. He played a significant role in the conversion of King Henry IV to Catholicism and was known for his literary works and oratorical skills.
Another notable figure with the PERRON surname was François Perron (1590-1668), a French Jesuit priest and missionary who traveled to New France (present-day Canada) in the early 17th century. He worked tirelessly to spread Christianity among the indigenous populations and is considered one of the founding figures of the Catholic Church in Canada.
In the 18th century, the PERRON surname was associated with several military figures, including Jean-Baptiste Perron (1720-1796), a French naval officer who participated in the American Revolutionary War, and Antoine-François Perron (1754-1808), a French general who served under Napoleon Bonaparte.
Other noteworthy individuals with the PERRON surname include Marguerite Perron (1819-1905), a French nun and founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Immaculate Conception, and Edmond Perron (1880-1931), a French mathematician renowned for his contributions to the field of analysis and his work on the Perron integral.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Perron
Among Census respondents with the surname Perron, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Perron 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 Perron surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 4,117
- Two or more races4.7% · 221
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 183
- Black or African American2.8% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Perron
Perron 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
#6,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,023
+455 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Up 78 places
2020
#6,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,726
-297 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 131 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,799 | 4,568 | 1.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,721 | 5,023 | 1.70 | +455 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 78 places |
| 2020 | #6,852 | 4,726 | 1.58 | -297 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 131 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 Perron 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 | #6,721 | #6,852 | -1.9% |
| Count | 5,023 | 4,726 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.70 | 1.58 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Perron bearers went from 5,023 to 4,726 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 131 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,721 to #6,852.
FAQ
Perron surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Perron?
Name Census estimates that about 5,419 living Americans carry the surname Perron. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,250 residents.
How common is Perron?
Perron ranks #6,852 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,726 people with the surname Perron. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,419), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Perron.
Has Perron become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Perron went from 5,023 recorded bearers to 4,726. That is a decrease of 297 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,721 to #6,852.
What does the Census say about the background of Perron?
Among Census respondents with the surname Perron, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Perron in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (4,117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Perron appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Perron (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 Perron mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a large stone staircase or flight of steps. 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 Perron (1.58 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 Perron?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.