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

Perera, 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 Perera surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Perera in America

Perera is the 7801st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Perera surname appeared 4,242 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Perera.

We can also compare 2010 data for Perera 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 Perera

The surname PERERA has its origins in Spain and Portugal, with records indicating its use as early as the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Latin word "pira," meaning "pear tree," suggesting that it may have been an occupational surname for someone who cultivated or traded pears.

In Spain, the earliest known record of the PERERA surname dates back to 1272, when a certain Pedro Perera was mentioned in a document from the city of Seville. The name can also be found in medieval Catalan records, with a Berenguer Perera appearing in a document from Barcelona in 1301.

The PERERA surname's origins in Portugal can be traced back to the 14th century, with records indicating its presence in the northern region of the country. One notable early bearer of the name was João Perera, a nobleman who lived in the city of Porto in the late 1300s.

In terms of historical references, the PERERA surname is mentioned in several ancient manuscripts and chronicles. For instance, the name appears in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile, which lists a certain Martín Perera as one of the participants in a royal hunt.

The PERERA surname also has a connection to the Canary Islands, where it is believed to have been introduced by early Spanish settlers in the 15th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name in the Canary Islands was Juan Perera, a landowner and prominent figure in the island of Tenerife in the late 1400s.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the PERERA surname, including:

1. Tomás Perera (c. 1540-1610), a Spanish painter and sculptor active in Seville during the Renaissance.
2. Pedro Perera y Cabral (1586-1646), a Spanish military officer and governor of Puerto Rico from 1642 to 1646.
3. Gaspar Perera (1555-1629), a Spanish Jesuit priest and theologian known for his works on moral philosophy.
4. Manuel Perera y Saavedra (1690-1758), a Spanish naval officer and cartographer who served as the governor of Chile from 1749 to 1755.
5. António Pereira da Silva (1917-2008), a Portuguese architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the development of Lisbon's modern architecture.

While the PERERA surname has its roots in Iberia, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America, where it was introduced by Spanish and Portuguese colonizers and settlers. The name has also found its way to other regions through migration and diaspora communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Perera

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

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

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

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