Surname Perry - Meaning and Origin

An Emotional Journey into Ancestry: The iGENEA DNA Test and the Perry Lineage

The DNA test journey with iGENEA was an enlightening emotional experience. It offered profound insights into my heritage and unforeseen connections to distant family members. The newfound understanding has changed the way I perceive my surname, Perry, and my familial connections.

Y. Perry

Perry: What does the surname Perry mean?

The last name Perry primarily originates from England, and is an occupational or geographical surname. As an occupational surname, Perry means "dweller by the pear tree" and was used to denote individuals who either lived near pear orchards or worked in one. This name can also be interpreted to mean "pear tree", referring to the specialty of an individual in pear cultivation or trading. It is derived from the word "pirige" in Old English, which means pear tree. Over time, the name evolved into different variations, including "Perrie" and "Pery." Perry is a common surname in the English-speaking world, and it has been held by many notable people throughout history. This surname enjoys widespread use in contemporary times as well, reflecting its enduring popularity.

Perry: Where does the name Perry come from?

The last name Perry is quite popular in the United States, particularly in the Southern and Midwestern states. According to the U.S. Census of 2020, it is the 51st most common surname in the country, with over 126,000 people bearing it.

It is particularly prominent in states such as Kentucky, where it is the 8th most common surname; Alabama, where it is the 10th most common; Missouri, where it is the 11th; and West Virginia, where it is the 6th.

It can also be found in smaller numbers in the North, with it ranking as the 145th most common surname in New Jersey, and 162nd in Connecticut. In the West, it ranks at 181st in California, 430th in Oregon, 394th in Nevada, and over 700th in both Hawaii and Alaska.

Internationally, Perry is a fairly popular last name in the United Kingdom, ranking at 91st, with many bearing the name hailing from exploring Welsh lineage. It is also quite common in Canada, and especially the Atlantic Provinces; it ranks at 204th in Nova Scotia, and 234th in New Brunswick.

Today, the multifaceted origins of the last name Perry have led to a wide dispersion of this popular surname. Its popularity in some areas has had a large impact on the genealogy of those states, as individuals with it share strong familial connections across its many scattered populations.

Variations of the surname Perry

The surname Perry is an Anglicized version of the old Irish surname "Mac Giolla Phádraig" which translates to "son of the servant of St.Patrick". The variants of this name include MacGillapatrick, MacGillpatrick, Patrick, Paterson, Patrickson, Peters, Peterson, Petterson, MacPerry, Perryman and Pyrrhus.

In some cases, the surname Perry has also been spelled as Pery, Perye, and Parry. Some variations of the name have also been caused by spelling mistakes when immigrants from Europe settled into the English speaking world.

In some cases, variants such as Pyrrhus have also arisen from the mistranslations of foreign languages. This could be due to the fact that many of the immigrants who adopted the Perry surname were of Irish descent, and the Irish version of the name was anglicized when they moved to other countries.

Variations of Perry also appear in French-speaking countries, such as Pierre, which is the French version of the name. In many countries, an adapted form of the name Perry is also widely used, such as the German version Perner or the Polish version Przeworski.

Although the primary spelling of the name remains as Perry, throughout the years the surname has been seen with a variety of variations, stemming from the original Irish version of the name.

Famous people with the name Perry

• Katy Perry: American singer, songwriter, and television judge.
• Luke Perry: American actor and producer best known for his roles on Beverly Hills 90210, Riverdale, and Oz.
• Tyler Perry: American actor, director, playwright, screenwriter, producer, author, and songwriter.
• Steve Perry: American singer, songwriter, and recording artist from the rock band Journey.
• Anne Perry: English author of historical detective fiction.
• Matthew Perry: American actor, comedian, and writer best known for his role in the NBC sitcom Friends.
• Rick Perry: American politician who previously served as the 14th Governor of Texas.
• Lenny Perry: American professional basketball player who played in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons from 1975 to 1981.
• Chris Perry: American football running back for the University of Connecticut Huskies.
• Richard Perry: American fashion designer, known for his designs in the 1970s and 1980s.
• Elliott Perry: American attorney, sports agent, and hall of fame basketball player.
• Glenn Perry: Canadian rugby union player.
• Chip Perry: American businessman who served as CEO of Cars.com from 2010 to 2012.
• William Perry: American college football player, and later professional wrestler and actor, best known by his ring name The Big Train.
• Brandi Perry: Canadian country music singer from Newfoundland.
• John Perry: American philosopher whose work mainly concerns philosophical logic, the philosophy of language, and metaphysics.
• Bernard Perry: American electrical engineer who worked for NASA on the Apollo program.
• Leslie Perry: American stage, film, and television actor and writer.
• Julius Perry: American football defensive back for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League.
• Kim Perry: American author and entrepreneur.

Other surnames

PerrPerraPerramPerrasPerrassPerremanPerremonPerrierPerrimanPerrishPerryman