PERRY
Perry is a surname of both English and Welsh provenance, recorded in the British Isles from the early medieval period. It is principally associated with two distinct linguistic origins, each reflecting a different mode of surname formation in Middle‑Age England.
The first derivation is locational, stemming from the Old English word pirige (also rendered piri), meaning “pear tree”. In the early Middle Ages, residential surnames were frequently adopted to identify individuals by notable features of the landscape. Accordingly, the name Perry would have denoted a person who dwelt near, worked in, or owned a pear orchard. Early documentary evidence includes Richard Pirie (1198, Kent), Gilbert atte Pyrie (1263, Surrey) and Richard atte Perye (1392, Sussex). The modern spellings that descend from this root encompass Perry, Perrie, Perree, Pirie, Pirrie and Pury.
The second derivation is patronymic and Welsh in character. It arises from the Welsh patronymic prefix ap combined with the medieval personal name Herry, a form of Henry. The fusion of ap Herry produced the surname Perry, a process parallel to that which generated the variant Parry from ap Harry (“son of Harry”). In this sense, Perry signifies “son of Herry”.
Historical records illustrate the surname’s Christian and English cultural context. For instance, Elizabeth Perry, daughter of Steven and Alice Perry, was christened on 25 July 1675 at St Botolph’s, Bishopsgate, London. The family’s heraldic achievement, granted in Gloucester in 1639, is blazoned “Quarterly red and gold, on a silver bend three black lions passant”, with a crest featuring a hind’s head proper.
In summary, the surname Perry embodies both a locational association with pear trees and a patronymic link to the medieval Welsh name Herry. Its early attestations, diverse orthographic variants, and heraldic representations attest to a long‑standing presence within the English and Welsh onomastic tradition.
Typical given names associated with the Perry surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Pairy
- Pare
- Parey
- Parie
- Parr
- Parrey
- Parri
- Parrie
- Parry
- Parrys
- Pary
- Parys
- Pear
- Pearey
- Pearie
- Pearre
- Pearry
- Peary
- Peer
- Peerie
- Peery
- Peir
- Peirey
- Peirie
- Peirre
- Peiry
- Per
- Pere
- Pereay
- Perey
- Peri
- Perie
- Peris
- Peroy
- Perr
- Perra
- Perray
- Perre
- Perres
- Perrey
- Perri
- Perria
- Perrie
- Perries
- Perrim
- Perrin
- Perrio
- Perris
- Perrit
- Perro
- Perroy
- Perrs
- Perryn
- Perrys
- Pery
- Peryes
- Peyre
- Pierey
- Pieri
- Pierre
- Pierri
- Pierrie
- Pierry
- Piery
- Pirey
- Pirrey
- Pirri
- Pirrie
- Pirry
- Porey
- Porr
- Porry
- Purey
- Purr
- Purrey
- Purrie
- Purris
- Purry
- Pury
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Perry in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Perry are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Custard Cream.
There are approximately 46,611 people named Perry in the UK. That makes it the 151st most common surname in Britain. Around 716 in a million people in Britain are named Perry.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Perry
- Matthew Perry - Canadian-American actor
- Luke Perry - American actor (1966 to 2019)
- Tyler Perry - American actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, producer, author, and songwriter
- Grayson Perry - Artist
- Anne Perry - Author
- Fred Perry - Tennis player (1909 to 1995)
- Steve Perry - American singer
- Suzi Perry - Television presenter
- Edward "Teddy" Sinclair Perry - Actor (1914 to 1977)
- Rick Perry - 14th United States Secretary of Energy
- Philippa Perry - Psychotherapist and author
- Linda Perry - American singer
- Jimmy Perry - Writer, scriptwriter, producer, author and actor (1923 to 2016)
- David Perry - Northern Irish video game designer
- Adam Perry - Musician, drummer
- Emily Perry - Actress (1907 to 2008)
- Joe Perry - Snooker player
- Sarah Perry - Writer
- Jason Perry - Rock singer, songwriter
- Malcolm Perry - Physicist
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.