The Perna surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,467 people carried this name — #9,382 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 84,700 people counted. That is up 4% from 3,340 in 2000.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 1,193 people named Perna live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
284 people named Perna live in Switzerland.
They live in 19 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 194 people named Perna.
83 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 23 départements, most often Gers.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 71 people named Perna live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Liège.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
23 people named Perna is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
In print
Perna in American newspapers,
1914–1921.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 8,365 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Perna,
with a public archive behind them.
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Pietro Perna 1519–1582 · typographer -
Pietro Perna 1522–1582 · typographer
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Alfredo Perna 1873–1965 · mathematician
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Alfredo Perna 1873–1965 · mathematician
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Amedeo Perna 1875–1948 · politician
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Amedeo Perna 1875–1948 · politician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Perna.
- Perio 114 · U.S. census
- Peris 299 · U.S. census
- Perkins 131,440 · U.S. census
- Perl 2,150 · U.S. census
- Perles 179 · U.S. census
- Perlin 497 · U.S. census
- Perney 116 · U.S. census
- Pernice 696 · U.S. census
- Pernot 149 · U.S. census
- Pero 2,239 · U.S. census
- Peron 566 · U.S. census
- Perona 664 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Perna is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.