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Name Lineage

    The surname Perkins

    A patronymic surname, carried by 131,440 people in the United States.

    Pronounced /ˈpɝkɪnz/ 2 syllables Soundex P625

    Perkins: #223 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#1,000Archer#10,001Dubon Perkins #223, 131,440 people Perkins: #223 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott Perkins #223, 131,440 people
    Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Perkins is more common than 99.9% of them.

    Origin

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

    Perkins is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

    Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    How common it is

    2010 US Census

    There were 131,440 people named Perkins in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,349 Americans. That is up 3.5% since 2000, when the Census counted 126,951.

    #223
    rank among US surnames
    131,440
    people in 2010
    45
    per 100,000 Americans
    +3.5%
    change since 2000 (was #212)
    RankSurnamePeople1 in
    #214Hudson134,9632,288
    #215Carroll134,3172,299
    #216Lane134,2272,300
    #217Riley133,8722,306
    #218Andrews133,7992,308
    #219Alvarado133,5012,313
    #220Ray133,1712,318

    Who is named Perkins

    Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

    69% of people named Perkins identified as white (not Hispanic), 25% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

    Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

    Famous Perkinss

    40 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Anthony Perkins
      American actor (1932–1992)
    • Charlotte Perkins Gilman
      American feminist, writer, artist, and lecturer (1860–1935)
    • Carl Perkins
      American guitarist, 1932–1998
    • Elizabeth Perkins
      American actress, born 1960
    • Millie Perkins
      American actress (born 1938)
    • John Perkins
      American author, born 1945
    • Kendrick Perkins
      American basketball player (born 1984)
    • Pinetop Perkins
      American blues pianist (1913–2011)
    • Kieren Perkins
      Australian swimmer, born 1973
    • Oz Perkins
      American actor and filmmaker (born 1974)
    • Sam Perkins
      American basketball player (born 1961)
    • Larry Perkins
      Australian racecar driver, born 1950

    Notable Perkinss come mostly from the United States (32), Australia (7) and the United Kingdom (1).

    Spellings and sound-alikes

    Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

    Surnames that sound like Perkins

    Perkins has the Soundex code P625, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code P625.

    Questions

    How common is the surname Perkins?
    131,440 people in the United States had the surname Perkins in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,349 Americans. It ranked 223rd of 162,253 surnames.
    What ethnicity is the surname Perkins?
    In the 2010 Census, 69% of people named Perkins identified as white (not Hispanic), and 25% as Black (not Hispanic).
    Who is the most famous person named Perkins?
    Anthony Perkins, American actor (1932–1992), followed by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
    Where is the surname Perkins most common?
    Wikidata records people named Perkins in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.
    How do you pronounce Perkins?
    Perkins is /ˈpɝkɪnz/, 2 syllables.
    What type of surname is Perkins?
    Perkins is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
    Is the surname Perkins getting more or less common?
    More common. 126,951 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 131,440 in 2010, up 3.5%.