Perrin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Etymology of Perrin

What does the name Perrin mean?

Today's generation of the Perrin family bears a name that was brought to England by the wave of emigration that was started by the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the ancient given name Peter which anciently meant rock or stone. "The Counts du Perrin held large possessions in the district of Nosiere, in France, but being Huguenots, the family were compelled to quit their native land, in the earlier part of the XVIII. century, and they settled in Lisburn, in Ireland. Several members of the family have distinguished themselves at the Irish bar, and one is well known as the author of an excellent grammar of his ancestral language. " 1

Early Origins of the Perrin family

The surname Perrin was first found in Northumberland where Perrinus uadletus (Latin form) was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1207. John Pirun was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1166 and Geoffrey Perrun was listed as a Knights Templar in Lincolnshire in 1185. A few years later, Henry Piron was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1194 in Oxfordshire. 2

Further to the south in Cornwall, the parish of Perran-Zabuloe is of interest to us. "St. Piran, the supposed patron of the tinners, the performer of miracles, the solitary hermit, and the Bishop of Cornwall took up his abode. 'Piran,' according to Leland, 'was born in Ireland within the province of Ostrige. Domuel was his father, and Wingela his mother. Piran was the disciple of St. Patrick. Piran came into Britain, died and was buried in Britain; and Wingela the mother of Piran inhabited in a place near her son with holy virgins.' At a period subsequent to the Norman Conquest, this manor is said to have belonged to a family called St. Piran, but whether related to the ancient saint is very uncertain." 3

Early History of the Perrin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Perrin research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1553, 1558, 1642, 1665 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Perrin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Perrin Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Perrin, Perren, Perrine, Peren, Perring, Perrins and others.

Early Notables of the Perrin family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Daniel Perrin (1642-1719), one of the first permanent European inhabitants of Staten Island, New York, he arrived from the Isle of Jersey on July 29, 1665 aboard the ship Philip

Perrin Ranking

In the United States, the name Perrin is the 4,004^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 4 However, in France, the name Perrin is ranked the 41^st most popular surname with an estimated 44,900 people with that name. 5

Perrin migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Perrin or a variant listed above:

Perrin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Perrin, who settled in Virginia in 1637
Arthur and Richard Perrin, who settled in Virginia in 1637
Arthur Perrin, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 6
John Perrin, who landed in Virginia in 1642 6
Fortune Perrin, who landed in Virginia in 1658 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Perrin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Claude Perrin, aged 25, who landed in Louisiana in 1720 6

Perrin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Perrin, who arrived in America in 1806 6
Mathew Perrin, aged 27, who landed in New York in 1812 6
Elizabeth Perrin, who landed in New York in 1845 6
Jeremiah Perrin, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1847 6
Charles L Perrin, who arrived in Texas in 1850-1906 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Perrin Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ernest William Wall Perrin, who arrived in Arkansas in 1901 6

Perrin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Perrin Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Mr. Jean Perrin, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 5th April 1645 7
Henry Perrin, who landed in Montreal in 1650
Jeanne Perrin, aged 18, who landed in Montreal in 1653
Miss Jeanne Perrin, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 16th April 1658 7
Henri Perrin, son of François and Marguerite, who married Jeanne Merrin, daughter of Michel and Catherine, in Montreal, Quebec on 18th July 1661 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Perrin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Joseph Perrin, son of Mathieu and Jeanne, who married Jeanne Durand, daughter of Pierre and Jeanne, in Champlain, Quebec on 30th June 1716 8
Antoine Perrin, son of Jacques and Catherine, who married Marie-Anne Chotard, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Madeleine, in Montreal, Quebec on 25th June 1720 8
Antoine Perrin sailed from Languedoc in 1720 for Quebec
Joseph-Jilles Perrin, who arrived in Quebec in 1723 from Brittany
Joseph-Gilles Perrin, son of Jean and Pérette, who married Marie-Josephte Laroche, daughter of Innocent and Marie, in Repentigny, Quebec on 8th February 1723 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Perrin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Barrington Perrin, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1806 9
James Perrin was a fisherman at Turnip Cove, Fortune Bay, Newfoundland in 1871 9

Perrin migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Perrin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Perrin, English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Joseph Perrin, (b. 1809), aged 19, English labourer who was convicted in Kent, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 29th April 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1835 11
John Perrin, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Katherine Stewart Forbes" in 1837 12
Eliza Perrin, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Navarino" in 1837 13
Miss Catherine Perrin, (b. 1821), aged 18, Cornish servant, from Lanreath, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Amelia Thompson" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 27th September 1839 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Perrin migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Perrin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Rhonda Perrin, aged 26, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1840
Edmund Perrin, aged 28, a brickmaker, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Mary Perrin, aged 26, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Mrs. Elizabeth Perrin, (b. 1827), aged 33, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gananoque" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 9th May 1860 15
Mr. John Perrin, (b. 1829), aged 31, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Gananoque" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 9th May 1860 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Perrin migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16

Perrin Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Thomas Perrin, who settled in Barbados in 1663

Contemporary Notables of the name Perrin (post 1700) +

Stephen Herbert "Steve" Perrin (1946-2021), American game designer and technical writer/editor, best known for creating the tabletop role-playing game RuneQuest for Chaosium
Jesse Bennett Perrin (1959-2017), professional American football safety for the St. Louis Cardinals (1982â€“1985)
Brigadier-General Herbert Towle Perrin (1893-1962), American Assistant Commanding General 106th Division (1943-1946) 17
Brigadier-General Edwin Sanders Perrin (1905-1946), American Deputy Chief of Staff, Headquarters US Army Air Forces (1943-1944) 18
Harold Ernest Perrin CBE (1878-1948), British aviation pioneer
Nat Perrin (1905-1998), American comedy writer who contributed to several Marx Brothers films
Jacques Perrin (1941-2022), born Jacques André Simonet, a French two-time Academy Award nominated, two-time César Award winning actor and filmmaker
Louis Perrin (1782-1864), Irish judge from Waterford, son of Jean Baptiste Perrin (fl. 1786), born in France; he was appointed a puisne justice of the king's bench, Ireland, on 31 Aug. 1835
Claude Victor- Perrin, Duke of Belluno, French Marshall of the Empire during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 19
Joseph Perrin, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 20
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Perrin family +

Halifax Explosion

Miss Helen Bertha Perrin (1906-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 21

HMS Hood

Mr. Alfred J Perrin (b. 1913), English Cook (S) serving for the Royal Navy from Hawkswood, Hailsham, Sussex, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 22

RMS Titanic

Mr. William Charles Perrin (d. 1912), aged 39, English Boots Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 23

The Perrin Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Impavidun feriunt ruinae
Motto Translation: Danger shall strike me unappalled.

Sources +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) KATHERINE STEWART FORBES 1837 arrived Holdfast Bay, near Adelaide, on October 17, 1837. . Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837KatherineStewartForbes.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) NAVARINO 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837Navarino.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_bounty_nsw.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Herbert Perrin. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Perrin/Herbert_Towle/USA.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Edwin Perrin. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Perrin/Edwin_Sanders/USA.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 12) Claude Perrin. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 12) Joseph Perrin. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html