Perrin
Masculine · “little rock”
Perrin is given to both — 1,568 boys and 479 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Perrin is a French double diminutive of Pierre — Pierre gave Perre, and Perre gave Perrin, a little little rock.
How old is the name Perrin?
Perrin first appears in US birth records in 1899 — 126 years ago. The typical Perrin alive today was born around 2005, making them about 20 years old. About 1,400 people named Perrin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Perrin most popular?
Perrin peaked in 1899, reaching #1051 nationally. Today it ranks #4539, 3,488 places below that high. See the whole 1899 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Perrin
Ours, offered as ours. Medieval French naming produced diminutives industrially: Pierre gave Perrin, Perrot, Perrault, Perreau and Perrichon, and each became a surname carried by thousands. Charles Perrault, who wrote down Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, has a name meaning little Peter. So does the Perrin family. That whole layer of French surnames is one name shrunk in half a dozen directions.
Meaning
little rock
From French Pierre, from Greek petros, a stone; the -in ending is a diminutive, so the name is Peter made small. French produced Perrin, Perrot and Perrault the same way, all of which became surnames.
Pronouncing Perrin
PER-in
Two syllables, first stressed. French gives peh-RAN with a nasal ending.
Nicknames for Perrin
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1899
- Most boys named
- 200747 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1051reached in 1899
- Change vs 2023
- −38.9%22 in 2025, from 36
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Perrin in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Perrin in French — same name
- Peter in English — related form
- Pierre in French — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida.
Perrins among us
people named Perrin are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 77,640 born in 2025 was named Perrin
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Perrin sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Perrin beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Perrin in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning with a genuinely productive French diminutive system behind it.
- Perry is a sound-alike short form and a complete name in its own right.
- Read correctly on sight by most English speakers.
- It reads as a surname to people meeting it in front of another one.
- The French pronunciation has a nasal ending English does not carry.
- It is used for both sexes in some American records.
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What they receive
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Perrin
Masculine · #4539 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Perrins are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,400 people named Perrin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Perrin in 2025?
- Perrin ranks #4539 among US boy names in 2025, with 22 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Perrin?
- About 1 in every 77,640 US boys born in 2025 was named Perrin — 22 in all.
- Will my child share the name Perrin with classmates?
- Perrin will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Perrin
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Nels#4539 · Gabe#4539 · Michel#4539 · Elroy#4539 · Orlin#4539 · Pearce#4539 · Josemaria#4539 · Napoleon#4539
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Perrin? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Perrin and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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