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Origin of the Name

The origin of the name PERROTT is far from clear. The most common explanation is that it means "little Peter", with Peter having derived from the Latin name Petrus which in turn comes from the Greek word for a stone. Other similar names also said to mean "little Peter" include, Perrin, Perron, Parrell and Perowne.

Another popular choice on the meaning of the name is that it derived from a pet-name or nickname for the parrot. It is interesting to note that the parrot is often used in Heraldic crests associated with the PERROTT family coats of arms.

The publication "Burkes Commoners" states that the ancient family of Perrott derived their name from Castle Perrott, in Brittany, built in 957, by William de Perrott, whose great-grandson Sir Richard Perrott, Seigneur de Perrott in 1066, furnished William of Normandy with his quota of ships and men, accompanied the expedition to England, and settling in Somerset.

I have encountered several different spellings in records pertaining to my family during family history research, including for example, Perrot, Parrett, Perratt and Perott.

George Perrett in his book "In Search of Perretts", provides an excellent discussion on the possibilities associated with the origin of the name, or variations, and gives us several alternatives, and clues to follow up. Personally I favour the suggestion that the name is of Norman origin, however, "Jus suum cuique" (see below).

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Heraldic Arms

There are several Coats of Arms associated with the name Perrott. most feature three Pears.

Perrott Coat of Arms

The complete Coat of Arms for Sir John Perrott of Haverfordwest Pembrokeshire, consists of a Demi Lion over three golden pears, with Supporters being, left side, an ancient Briton coloured purple and right side, a red Dragon.   His crest is a parrot clutching a pear in its talon.

The illustration shown below is of Sir John Perrott's Achievement of Arms, drawn from a description contained in "The General Armory"

 Sir John Perrott's Arms

The motto for this family is "Amo ut invenio" - I love as I find. Another Perrott motto is "Jus suum cuique" -To every man his own.

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Last modified: 17 March 2023