2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Perski
A Slavic surname referring to someone from Persia (modern-day Iran).
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 103 Americans carry the last name Perski. That puts it at #158,432 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,327,712 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Perski 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.
Perski appeared in the 2010 Census surname file but was not included in the published 2020 file. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames with at least 100 recorded bearers, so this usually means the name fell below that threshold.
Bearers in the US
103
1 in 3,327,712
Census rank
#158,432
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Perski in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 158432nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Perski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Perski
The surname Perski originates from Poland, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "perski," meaning "Persian," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who had connections to Persia (modern-day Iran) or had Persian ancestry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Perski surname can be found in the Polish census records from the late 16th century. These records document several families with the Perski surname living in various regions of Poland at that time.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Perski name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Greater Poland and Silesia. During this period, several notable individuals bearing the Perski surname emerged, including Jakub Perski (1590-1654), a Polish nobleman and military commander who served in the Polish-Swedish Wars.
Another prominent figure with the Perski surname was Michal Perski (1704-1772), a Polish philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of logic and was a member of the prestigious Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences.
The Perski surname can also be found in historical records from other parts of Europe, such as Germany and Russia. This suggests that individuals with this surname may have migrated from Poland to other regions over the centuries.
One notable example is Aleksandr Perski (1839-1917), a Russian military officer and statesman who served as the Governor-General of Turkestan in the late 19th century. He played a crucial role in the expansion and administration of the Russian Empire in Central Asia.
In the 20th century, the Perski surname continued to be prominent in various fields. One notable figure was Stanislaw Perski (1919-2003), a Polish writer and journalist who was known for his works on World War II and the Warsaw Uprising.
The Perski surname has a rich history rooted in Poland, with connections to various historical figures and events over the centuries. While its origins can be traced back to the 16th century, the name has since spread to other parts of Europe, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchange that have shaped the region's history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Perski
Among Census respondents with the surname Perski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Perski bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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 Perski surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1%
- Hispanic or Latino4.9%
- Unknown or suppressed1.0%
Timeline
Historical Census data for Perski
Perski appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-6 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,644 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 16,644 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
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Perski surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20002010
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #141,788 | #158,432 | -11.7% |
| Count | 108 | 102 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -25.0% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Perski bearers went from 108 to 102 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 16,644 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,788 to #158,432.
FAQ
Perski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Perski?
Name Census estimates that about 103 living Americans carry the surname Perski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,327,712 residents.
How common is Perski?
Perski ranks #158,432 in the 2010 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2010 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Perski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (103), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Perski.
Has Perski become more or less common over time?
Between 2000 and 2010, the surname Perski went from 108 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,788 to #158,432.
What does the Census say about the background of Perski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Perski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%). These figures come from the 2010 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 Perski in the 2010 Census, accounting for 94.1%.
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Perski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2010 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (4.9%).
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Not necessarily. Perski appears here with 2010 Census data, while the latest surname file loaded on Name Census is 2020. When a surname drops below the Census publication threshold, older rows can still be kept for historical reference even if the name no longer appears in the newest file.
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 Perski mean?
A Slavic surname referring to someone from Persia (modern-day Iran). 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 2010 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 Perski (0.03 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 Perski?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.