2000
#1,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,921
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.50
Uncommon Last name
Pereira
A Portuguese topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a pear tree or in a pear orchard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 36,889 Americans carry the last name Pereira. That puts it at #1,070 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,292 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pereira 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pereira with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
37K
1 in 9,292
Census rank
#1,070
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
32K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 32,169 bearers of the surname Pereira in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1070th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pereira, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (32.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pereira
The surname Pereira is of Portuguese origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It derived from the word "pereira," which translates to "pear tree" in Portuguese, indicating that the name likely originated from someone who lived near a pear orchard or a place known for its abundance of pear trees.
The earliest recorded instances of the Pereira surname can be found in various historical documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. It appears in the Inquirições de D. Afonso III, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties conducted in Portugal during the reign of King Afonso III (1210-1279).
One of the notable historical figures bearing the Pereira surname was Nuno Álvares Pereira (1360-1431), a Portuguese military leader and nobleman who played a pivotal role in the Portuguese struggle for independence from Castile. He was later canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.
Another prominent individual with the Pereira surname was Tomé Pires (1468-1540), a Portuguese apothecary and one of the earliest European writers to provide detailed accounts of maritime Southeast Asia. His work, "Suma Oriental," is a valuable source of information on the region's geography, commerce, and culture during the 16th century.
In the literary realm, João Fernandes Pereira (1566-1628) was a Portuguese poet and dramatist known for his contributions to the Portuguese Renaissance literature. His most famous work, "Ulisseia," is an epic poem inspired by Homer's Odyssey.
The Pereira surname also has a notable presence in Spanish history. Fernando Núñez Pereira (1677-1721) was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Captaincy General of Chile from 1714 to 1717.
Another historical figure with the Pereira surname was José Joaquim Pereira (1787-1838), a Brazilian military leader and politician who played a significant role in the movement for Brazilian independence from Portugal. He served as the first President of the Regency Junta of Brazil in 1822.
While the Pereira surname has its roots in Portugal, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly to former Portuguese colonies and territories, as well as to countries with significant Portuguese immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pereira
Among Census respondents with the surname Pereira, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (32.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pereira 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 Pereira surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.1% · 17,419
- Hispanic or Latino32.1% · 10,313
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.1% · 1,974
- Black or African American4.7% · 1,500
- Two or more races2.8% · 903
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pereira
Pereira 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
#1,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,898
+6,977 bearers (+30.4%)
Per 100,000 10.14
Rank movement Up 253 places
2020
#1,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,169
+2,271 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 10.76
Rank movement Up 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,428 | 22,921 | 8.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,175 | 29,898 | 10.14 | +6,977 bearers (+30.4%) | Up 253 places |
| 2020 | #1,070 | 32,169 | 10.76 | +2,271 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 105 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 Pereira 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 | #1,175 | #1,070 | 8.9% |
| Count | 29,898 | 32,169 | 7.6% |
| Per 100K | 10.14 | 10.76 | 6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pereira bearers went from 29,898 to 32,169 (+7.6% change). The surname moved up 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,175 to #1,070.
FAQ
Pereira surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pereira?
Name Census estimates that about 36,889 living Americans carry the surname Pereira. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,292 residents.
How common is Pereira?
Pereira ranks #1,070 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 32,169 people with the surname Pereira. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (36,889), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Pereira.
Has Pereira become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pereira went from 29,898 recorded bearers to 32,169. That is an increase of 2,271 (+7.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,175 to #1,070.
What does the Census say about the background of Pereira?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pereira, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (32.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pereira in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.1% (17,419 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pereira appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.1%), Hispanic (32.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). 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 Pereira (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 Pereira mean?
A Portuguese topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a pear tree or in a pear orchard. 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 Pereira (10.76 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 many people share the surname Pereira?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.