The title Earl of Perth was created in 1605 for James Drummond.

The fourth Earl of Perth was attained for supporting the Jacobite movement. He and his successors, the titular Dukes of Perth, nonetheless claimed the earldom. Upon the extinction of the titular dukedom with the death of the sixth Duke, the claim to the earldom of Perth passed to the second Duke of Melfort, another holder of a titular dukedom. In 1853, the sixth titular Duke of Melfort, George Drummond, was by Act of Parliament deemed Earl of Perth, and the previous attainder was reversed. Drummond also dropped the use of the nominal dukedom of Melfort. At his death in 1902, several titles held by him, such as the Earldom of Melfort, became dormant because no-one could prove a claim to the title.

Often, those who claimed the title after the attainder but before its reversal are excluded from the numbering. However, such persons are, because the attainder was completely reversed, technically Earls of Perth, and therefore are here included in the numbering.

The subsidiary titles held by the Earl of Perth are: Viscount Strathallan (created 1686), Lord Drummond of Cargill (1488), Lord Drummond of Stobhall (1605), Lord Maderty (1609) and Lord Drummond of Cromlix (1686). The title Viscount Strathallan is the courtesy title for the Earl's eldest son and heir. All titles are in the Peerage of Scotland.

Lords Drummond (1488)

• John Drummond, 1st Lord Drummond (1438-1519)
• David Drummond, 2nd Lord Drummond (c. 1515-1571)
• Patrick Drummond, 3rd Lord Drummond (1550-1600)
• James Drummond, 4th Lord Drummond (d. 1611) (became Earl of Perth in 1605)

Earls of Perth (1605)

• James Drummond, 1st Earl of Perth (d. 1611)
• John Drummond, 2nd Earl of Perth (d. 1662)
• James Drummond, 3rd Earl of Perth (c. 1615-1675)
• James Drummond, 1st Duke of Perth (c. 1649-1716)
• James Drummond, 2nd Duke of Perth (d. 1720)
• James Drummond, 3rd Duke of Perth (d. 1746)
• John Drummond, 4th Duke of Perth (d. 1747)
• John Drummond, 5th Duke of Perth (d. 1757)
• Edward Drummond, 6th Duke of Perth (d. 1760)
• James Drummond, 2nd Duke of Melfort (1707-1781)
• James Drummond, 3rd Duke of Melfort (1744-1800)
• James Louis Drummond, 4th Duke of Melfort (1750-1800)
• Charles Edward Drummond, 5th Duke of Melfort (1752-1840)
• George Drummond, 14th Earl of Perth (1807-1902)
• William Huntly Drummond, 15th Earl of Perth (1871-1937)
• James Eric Drummond, 16th Earl of Perth (1876-1951)
• John David Drummond, 17th Earl of Perth (1907-2002)
• John Drummond, 18th Earl of Perth (b. 1935)