# Perkins (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/perkins/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

An English and Welsh surname originating as a patronymic from Perkin, a medieval diminutive of Peter.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 131,440 |
| US rank (2010) | 223 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,349 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.5% (126,951 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈpɝkɪnz/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Who carries it

Share of people named Perkins in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 69% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 25% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.3% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Perkins in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

## People named Perkins

- Anthony Perkins, American actor (1932–1992)
- Charlotte Perkins Gilman, American feminist, writer, artist, and lecturer (1860–1935)
- Carl Perkins, American guitarist
- Elizabeth Perkins, American actress
- Millie Perkins, American actress (born 1938)
- John Perkins, American author
- Kendrick Perkins, American basketball player (born 1984)
- Pinetop Perkins, American blues pianist (1913–2011)
- Kieren Perkins, Australian swimmer
- Oz Perkins, American actor and filmmaker (born 1974)
- Sam Perkins, American basketball player (born 1961)
- Larry Perkins, Australian racecar driver

and 28 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Parkins, Person, Parkinson, Persinger, Parkin, Persons, Persson, Perkinson, Persing, Pershing, Pearson, Parsons.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.