2000
#80,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 219
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Perlich
A surname likely derived from a location name in Germany or Austria.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 271 Americans carry the last name Perlich. That puts it at #85,336 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,264,776 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Perlich surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
271
1 in 1,264,776
Census rank
#85,336
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
236
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 236 bearers of the surname Perlich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 85336th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Perlich, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Black (2.1%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Perlich
The surname PERLICH is of German origin, with roots tracing back to the 14th century in the regions of Prussia and Saxony. It is derived from the German word "Perle," meaning pearl, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to a person who worked with or traded pearls.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Prussian town records of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia) in the late 1300s, where a merchant named Hans Perlich is mentioned. The name is also found in various medieval manuscripts from the region, such as the Lübeck City Archives from the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the PERLICH surname gained prominence in the city of Leipzig, where a family of wealthy merchants and bankers bearing the name became influential. Notably, Johann Perlich (1524-1589), a prominent Leipzig businessman, served as a city councilor and was known for his philanthropy in supporting local churches and schools.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling emerged, including Perlisch, Perlicher, and Perlitzsch. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the names of specific towns or villages where branches of the family settled.
One notable figure in the history of the PERLICH name was Friedrich Wilhelm Perlich (1798-1864), a German writer and journalist from Saxony. He was a prolific author of novels, plays, and travelogues, and his works were widely popular in his time.
Another historically significant individual was Karl Perlich (1867-1944), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities in the early 20th century, including the Charlottenburg Palace Theater.
In the 19th century, the PERLICH name also gained recognition in Austria, with the birth of Rudolf Perlich (1856-1924), a prominent Austrian painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life.
Ernst Perlich (1899-1949), a German physicist and engineer, made contributions to the development of television technology and was involved in the early research on color television systems.
While the PERLICH surname is relatively uncommon globally, it maintains its strongest presence in German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in Germany and Austria, where it has been documented for over six centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Perlich
Among Census respondents with the surname Perlich, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Black (2.1%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Perlich bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Perlich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 225
- Black or African American2.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
- Two or more races0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Perlich
Perlich appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#88,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 210
-9 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 7,834 places
2020
#85,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 236
+26 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 3,000 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #80,502 | 219 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #88,336 | 210 | 0.07 | -9 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 7,834 places |
| 2020 | #85,336 | 236 | 0.08 | +26 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 3,000 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Perlich surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #88,336 | #85,336 | 3.4% |
| Count | 210 | 236 | 12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.08 | 12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Perlich bearers went from 210 to 236 (+12.4% change). The surname moved up 3,000 positions in the national ranking, going from #88,336 to #85,336.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Perlich
FAQ
Perlich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Perlich?
Name Census estimates that about 271 living Americans carry the surname Perlich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,264,776 residents.
How common is Perlich?
Perlich ranks #85,336 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 236 people with the surname Perlich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (271), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Perlich.
Has Perlich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Perlich went from 210 recorded bearers to 236. That is an increase of 26 (+12.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #88,336 to #85,336.
What does the Census say about the background of Perlich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Perlich, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Black (2.1%) and Hispanic (0.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Perlich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (225 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Perlich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Black (2.1%), Hispanic (0.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Perlich (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Perlich mean?
A surname likely derived from a location name in Germany or Austria. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Perlich (0.08 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Perlich?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Perlich is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.