Show ContentsPeri History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Peri can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Piedmont. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. The most common type of family name found in the region of Piedmont is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Peri came from the personal name Pietro, or Peter, which is itself derived from the Greek word petrus meaning rock.

Early Origins of the Peri family

The surname Peri was first found in Piedmont (Italian: Piemonte, Piedmontese and Occitan: Piemont), where Giuseppe Peracchio, was listed as a brave soldier during the 11th century.

Early History of the Peri family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Peri research. The years 1408, 1521, 1536, 1571, 1585, 1590, 1623, 1662, 1753, 1792, 1817 and 1900 are included under the topic Early Peri History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peri Spelling Variations

Enormous variation in spelling and form characterizes those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. This is caused by two main factors: regional tradition, and inaccuracies in the recording process. Before the last few hundred years, scribes spelled names according to their sounds. Spelling variations were the unsurprising result. The variations of Peri include Perri, Peri, Perrico, Perotti, Perotta, Perracco, Perracho, Perrachino, Perrachini, Peracchio, Perrachio, Perotti, Perricone, Peracca, Perachis, Peracini, Peraga, Perazzo, Peralta, Peralto, Perolto, Peretti, Peretto, Perini, Perino and many more.

Early Notables of the Peri family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • Niccol Perolto, a 15th century humanist from Fano who specialized in Latin and Greek translation. Antonio and Pietro Peracchio received the castle of Pieve di Livone in 1536; from this same family, An...
  • Francesco-Maria Perini was mayor of Milan in 1662. Later references include: Giovanni-Battista Perini, mayor of Valpergato in 1753; another Giovanni-Battista Perini was Count of Rivarossa; Francesco-D...


United States Peri migration to the United States +

Immigrants bearing the name Peri or a variant listed above include:

Peri Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jose Antonio Peri, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1816 [1]

Contemporary Notables of the name Peri (post 1700) +

  • John Peri, American Republican politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 11th District, 1966 [2]
  • Bernard Peri, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 [3]


  1. 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)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  3. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 12) Bernard Peri. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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