by Jim Young (guest)
12/6/2006, 7:04 AM
A web search suggests a Northern French or Belgian surname.I can't find this spelling in any reference work, but Persin is found in Dauzat's "Noms et Prénoms", where it is explained as being from an old word, pers, meaning "livide", whatever that means.
I've also found Persin on a list of Flemish surnames, where it was explained as a diminutive of Perceval.