2000
#13,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,087
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Pereda
A Spanish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "stony ground" or "group of stones."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,834 Americans carry the last name Pereda. That puts it at #12,052 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,944 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pereda surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 120,944
Census rank
#12,052
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,471 bearers of the surname Pereda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12052nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pereda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pereda
The surname Pereda originated in Spain, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the word "peredo," which means "pear tree" in Spanish. This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near a pear tree or in an area known for its abundance of pear trees.
One of the earliest known references to the name Pereda can be found in the Becerro de Behetrías, a medieval manuscript compiled in the 14th century. This document lists several individuals with the surname Pereda, indicating that the name was already well-established in certain regions of Spain by that time.
During the 15th century, the Pereda family gained prominence in the northern Spanish province of Cantabria, particularly in the town of Santillana del Mar. One notable member was Juan de Pereda (1460-1525), a renowned architect who designed several important buildings in the region, including the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana in Santillana del Mar.
In the 16th century, Antonio de Pereda (1611-1678) was a prominent Spanish Golden Age painter from the city of Valladolid. His works, particularly his religious paintings and portraits, were highly acclaimed and can be found in many churches and museums throughout Spain.
Another notable figure was José de Pereda (1833-1906), a celebrated Spanish novelist and playwright from Cantabria. He is considered one of the most important writers of the Spanish literary realism movement, and his works often depicted the rural life and customs of his native region.
In the 20th century, Vicente Pereda (1897-1981) was a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Labor during the Second Spanish Republic. He was also a prominent figure in the Spanish Republican government-in-exile during the Francisco Franco era.
Throughout its history, the surname Pereda has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Pereda de Ancares, Pereda de Buitrago, and Pereda de la Riera, further emphasizing its geographic origins and connections to specific locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pereda
Among Census respondents with the surname Pereda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pereda bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Pereda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.0% · 2,199
- White5.7% · 142
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 102
- Two or more races0.8% · 20
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pereda
Pereda appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,800
+713 bearers (+34.2%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 2,103 places
2020
#12,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,471
-329 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 769 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,386 | 2,087 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,283 | 2,800 | 0.95 | +713 bearers (+34.2%) | Up 2,103 places |
| 2020 | #12,052 | 2,471 | 0.83 | -329 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 769 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Pereda surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,283 | #12,052 | -6.8% |
| Count | 2,800 | 2,471 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.83 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pereda bearers went from 2,800 to 2,471 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 769 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,283 to #12,052.
FAQ
Pereda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pereda?
Name Census estimates that about 2,834 living Americans carry the surname Pereda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,944 residents.
How common is Pereda?
Pereda ranks #12,052 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,471 people with the surname Pereda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,834), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pereda.
Has Pereda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pereda went from 2,800 recorded bearers to 2,471. That is a decrease of 329 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,283 to #12,052.
What does the Census say about the background of Pereda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pereda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pereda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (2,199 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pereda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.0%), White (5.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Pereda (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Pereda mean?
A Spanish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "stony ground" or "group of stones." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Pereda (0.83 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Pereda?
Want to know how many people are called Pereda? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.