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

Peralta, 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 Peralta surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Peralta in America

Peralta is the 949th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Peralta surname appeared 36,585 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 12 people would have the surname Peralta.

We can also compare 2010 data for Peralta 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 Peralta

The surname Peralta is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval Iberian Peninsula. It is derived from the Basque words "pera" meaning "pear" and "alta" meaning "high" or "elevated," suggesting a connection to a place or region with pear orchards or groves situated at a higher elevation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Peralta can be found in the 12th century, when it appeared in various documents and manuscripts from the Kingdom of Aragon and the Kingdom of Castile. This indicates that the name was already well-established during that time period.

In the 13th century, the town of Peralta de la Sal in the province of Huesca, Aragon, was mentioned in historical records. It is believed that the surname Peralta may have originated from this particular location or nearby areas.

The name Peralta gained prominence during the Reconquista, the centuries-long period of the Iberian Christian conquest of the Moorish territories. Pedro Martínez de Peralta (c. 1330-1391), a notable military leader and strategist, played a significant role in the battles against the Moors and was instrumental in the conquest of the Kingdom of Granada.

Another historical figure bearing the surname Peralta was Juan de Peralta (c. 1480-1557), a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. He was granted extensive lands and privileges for his contributions to the Spanish colonization efforts in the Americas.

In the 16th century, the Peralta family established themselves as a prominent noble house in Aragon and Navarre. Juan de Peralta y Bazán (1530-1594), a military commander and diplomat, served as the Viceroy of New Spain (modern-day Mexico) from 1567 to 1568.

During the 17th century, the name Peralta appeared in various historical records across Spain and its overseas territories. One notable figure from this period was Pedro de Peralta Barnuevo (1663-1743), a Spanish poet and dramatist who gained recognition for his literary works.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the surname Peralta spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America, where it continues to be a prevalent name in countries like Mexico, Peru, and Argentina.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Peralta

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

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

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

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