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

Person, 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 Person surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Person in America

Person is the 496th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Person surname appeared 67,411 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 23 people would have the surname Person.

We can also compare 2010 data for Person 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 Person

The surname "PERSON" is believed to have originated in medieval England, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from the Old English words "peor" and "suna," meaning "pear tree" and "son," respectively. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or was associated with a pear tree.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named Willelmus Persone is mentioned. This spelling variation, "Persone," was commonly used in the Middle Ages and is believed to be the precursor to the modern form, "PERSON."

During the 13th century, the name appeared in various records across different regions of England. In the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1212, a certain Robertus Person is mentioned, while the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1262 contains a reference to a Radulfus Persun.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not directly mention the surname "PERSON." However, it does include references to place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as "Persehale" in Staffordshire and "Persore" in Worcestershire.

Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname "PERSON." One of the earliest recorded was John Person (c. 1350 - 1428), an English landowner and member of the gentry from Norfolk. Another prominent figure was Thomas Person (1508 - 1558), a Catholic martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Mary I for his religious beliefs.

In the 17th century, Edward Person (1615 - 1686) was a renowned English Puritan minister and author, known for his sermons and theological writings. Later, in the 18th century, Robert Person (1733 - 1808) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Church of St. Marylebone in London.

One of the most famous bearers of the surname was the American writer and activist Nathaniel Person (1819 - 1886), who is best known for his influential work "The Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave" and his advocacy for abolition and civil rights.

Throughout history, the surname "PERSON" has seen various spelling variations, such as "Peirson," "Pearson," and "Pierson," reflecting regional dialects and linguistic evolutions over time. Despite these variations, the name has maintained a strong presence across different parts of the English-speaking world, leaving a lasting legacy in numerous historical records and notable individuals.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Person

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!