Find out how popular the last name Peiris is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Peiris.

Peiris, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Peiris surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Peiris in America

Peiris is the 67943rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Peiris surname appeared 290 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Peiris.

We can also compare 2010 data for Peiris to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Peiris

The surname PEIRIS is believed to have originated in Sri Lanka, with its roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Sinhala word "Peria," which means "big" or "great," and was likely used as a descriptive surname for individuals who held positions of authority or were considered influential members of society.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the PEIRIS surname can be found in the "Cūlavamsa," a historical chronicle of Sri Lanka written in the 13th century. The text mentions a prominent figure named PEIRIS Bandara, who held a high-ranking position during the reign of King Vimaladharmasuriya I in the late 15th century.

During the Portuguese colonization of Sri Lanka, which began in the early 16th century, the PEIRIS surname became more widespread as it was adopted by local families who converted to Christianity. The name was often spelled in various ways, such as "Perera," "Pereira," or "Perea," reflecting the influence of Portuguese orthography.

In the 18th century, the PEIRIS surname gained further prominence with the rise of the Kandyan Kingdom, a powerful Sinhalese monarchy that ruled the central highlands of Sri Lanka. Several notable figures bearing the PEIRIS name emerged during this period, including Mohottiwatte Disawe PEIRIS (1721-1795), a high-ranking official and chief minister under King Kirti Sri Rajasinha.

Another prominent individual with the PEIRIS surname was Sir James PEIRIS (1856-1930), a distinguished lawyer and statesman who served as the first Ceylonese member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He played a crucial role in advocating for greater self-governance and political reforms during the British colonial period.

In more recent history, Dr. Ralph PEIRIS (1921-2005) was a renowned Sri Lankan scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Sinhala language and literature. He served as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and was a recipient of the prestigious Deshamanya honor, one of Sri Lanka's highest national awards.

It is worth noting that while the PEIRIS surname is primarily associated with Sri Lanka, it has also been adopted by individuals of Sri Lankan descent in various parts of the world, particularly in countries with significant Sri Lankan diaspora communities, such as Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Peiris

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Peiris.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Peiris was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Peiris has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Peiris was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Peiris, please contact us.

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