Perron
Usually a French patronymic from a pet form of Pierre/Peter, though in some cases it can also be locational.
The #6,721 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 61,466 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is usually traced to Old French Perron, a diminutive of Pierre, meaning "Peter". In that sense, it is a family name built from a personal name rather than a place or job. Some writers also connect it with French du perron, literally "of the perron," referring to a stone step, platform, stairway, or rocky outcrop.
History
The sources suggest that Perron circulated in medieval Normandy and later appears in England in forms such as Peron, Perrin, and related spellings. In some English family lines, it was strengthened or reintroduced by French Huguenot refugees after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Because French surnames were often recorded in several spellings, the same family may appear under Perron, Perrone, or Perowne in older records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century surname writers noted that Saint Peter could be familiarly invoked as Perron, showing how closely the name stayed tied to Pierre/Peter.
From the historical record
“PERRIS, Perry's (Son) : v. Perry. PERRON I the French Perron, Pierron= Perre, Pierre, i.e. Peter (q.v.) -|- the dim. suff. -on ^ [Lat. -on-is'] Saint Pierre was sometimes familiarly invoked as Perron. 2 for the French Du Perron = Of the Perron, i.e. Stone Steps, Rock, etc.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)