2000
#97
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 212,644
First available Census row
Per 100,000 78.83
Common Last name
Perry
An English occupational surname referring to a pear orchard or someone who lived near a pear tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 242,713 Americans carry the last name Perry. That puts it at #109 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 70.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,412 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Perry 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 Perry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
243K
1 in 1,412
Census rank
#109
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
70.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
212K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 211,657 bearers of the surname Perry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 70.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 109th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Perry, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Perry
The surname Perry is believed to have originated in England, derived from the Old French word "perier," which means "pear tree." This suggests that the name was initially given as a descriptive term to someone who lived near a pear tree or orchard.
The earliest recorded instances of the Perry surname can be traced back to the late 11th century in various parts of England, such as Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Shropshire. It is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror.
During the Middle Ages, the Perry surname was often spelled in various ways, including Pery, Perrie, and Perrey. These variations reflect the fluid nature of surname spellings before standardization became more common in later centuries.
One notable bearer of the Perry surname was Sir Giles Perry, who lived in the 14th century and served as a soldier during the Hundred Years' War between England and France. He was knighted for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
In the 16th century, the Perry name gained prominence through the exploits of John Perry, a renowned English navigator and explorer who embarked on several voyages to the West Indies and South America. His travels and discoveries contributed to the expansion of British maritime interests during this period.
Another famous individual with the Perry surname was Oliver Hazard Perry, an American naval officer born in 1785. He is best known for his decisive victory over the British in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812, where he famously declared, "We have met the enemy, and they are ours."
In the world of literature, Matthew Calbraith Perry, born in 1794, was an American naval officer and diplomat who played a crucial role in opening up trade relations between the United States and Japan in the mid-19th century. His expedition to Japan in 1853-1854 is considered a pivotal event in the country's history.
The Perry surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Perry Barr in Birmingham, Perry Hill in Surrey, and Perry Street in London. These place names likely originated from the presence of pear orchards or trees in those areas, reflecting the surname's original meaning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Perry
Among Census respondents with the surname Perry, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Perry 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 Perry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.6% · 138,795
- Black or African American24.5% · 51,922
- Two or more races4.6% · 9,674
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 8,077
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,636
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,553
Timeline
Historical Census data for Perry
Perry 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
#103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 221,741
+9,097 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 75.17
Rank movement Down 6 places
2020
#109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 211,657
-10,084 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 70.81
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #97 | 212,644 | 78.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #103 | 221,741 | 75.17 | +9,097 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 6 places |
| 2020 | #109 | 211,657 | 70.81 | -10,084 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 6 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 Perry 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 | #103 | #109 | -5.8% |
| Count | 221,741 | 211,657 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 75.17 | 70.81 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Perry bearers went from 221,741 to 211,657 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #103 to #109.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Perry
FAQ
Perry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Perry?
Name Census estimates that about 242,713 living Americans carry the surname Perry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,412 residents.
How common is Perry?
Perry ranks #109 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 70.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 71 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 211,657 people with the surname Perry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (242,713), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 70.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 70.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 71 of them to have the surname Perry.
Has Perry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Perry went from 221,741 recorded bearers to 211,657. That is a decrease of 10,084 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #103 to #109.
What does the Census say about the background of Perry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Perry, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Perry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.6% (138,795 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Perry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.6%), Black (24.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Perry (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 Perry mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a pear orchard or someone who lived near a pear tree. 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 Perry (70.81 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 Americans have the surname Perry?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.