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

Perales, 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 Perales surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Perales in America

Perales is the 2467th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Perales surname appeared 14,593 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Perales.

We can also compare 2010 data for Perales 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 Perales

The surname Perales originates from Spain, and its roots can be traced back to the medieval period. The name is derived from the Spanish word "peral," which means "pear tree." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or owned land with pear trees.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Perales can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript from the 10th century. This document mentions a person named Gómez Perales, who was a landowner in the region of La Rioja, Spain.

In the 13th century, the name Perales appeared in the Libro de las Behetrías, a record of landholdings and vassalage in the kingdom of Castile. This document lists several individuals with the surname Perales, indicating that the name was already well-established in various regions of Spain.

During the 16th century, the name Perales gained further prominence with the birth of Pedro de Perales (1498-1569), a Spanish painter and sculptor who worked in the Renaissance style. His works can be found in various churches and cathedrals throughout Spain.

Another notable figure with the surname Perales was Juan de Perales (1537-1597), a Spanish mathematician and astronomer. He authored several treatises on astronomy and was known for his contributions to the study of comets and planetary movements.

In the 17th century, the name Perales was associated with the military. Alonso de Perales (1610-1678) was a Spanish military engineer who played a significant role in the construction of fortifications and defenses during the Thirty Years' War.

The 18th century saw the birth of Antonio Perales y Fernández de Rojas (1763-1850), a Spanish naval officer and cartographer. He was instrumental in mapping and exploring various parts of the Pacific Ocean, including the Galápagos Islands.

As the surname Perales spread beyond Spain, it gained a foothold in other parts of the world, particularly in Latin America. One notable figure was Pedro Perales (1891-1952), a Mexican politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Mexico in the late 1940s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Perales

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

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 Perales 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 Perales 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 Perales was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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