Thorp is a common place-name of Old Norse origin meaning hamlet or small village.

In the Domesday Book of 1086 Thorp was a possession of Count Alan of Brittany.

Perrow derives from the lords of the manor of Pirnhow (also written Pirhou or Pirho) in Norfolk, who were the earliest known tenants here.

[5] The Arboretum was originally created by Colonel Sir Leonard Ropner (1895–1977)[6] in 1931.

[3] Today the Thorp Perrow estate is considered to be one of the finest arboreta in the United Kingdom; The Times listed it as one of the top ten.