2000
#10,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,731
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Pereyra
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating a person from Pereira, Portugal, or a place with pear trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,559 Americans carry the last name Pereyra. That puts it at #7,991 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,182 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pereyra 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
4.6K
1 in 75,182
Census rank
#7,991
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,976 bearers of the surname Pereyra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7991st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pereyra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pereyra
The surname Pereyra is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Spanish word "pera," meaning "pear," and may have been an occupational name for someone who cultivated or sold pears. Alternatively, it could have derived from a place name referring to a location where pear trees were abundant.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Pereyra can be found in various historical documents from Spain and Portugal, such as birth records, land deeds, and legal proceedings. One notable example is the mention of a certain Sancho Pereyra in a 13th-century manuscript from the Aragonese region of Spain.
In the 14th century, the Pereyra name appeared in the Portuguese town of Coimbra, where several members of the family held influential positions. One significant figure was João Pereyra, a nobleman and military commander who played a crucial role in the Portuguese conquest of Ceuta in 1415.
During the Age of Exploration, the Pereyra surname spread to the Americas and other Portuguese and Spanish colonies. In the 16th century, a Portuguese explorer named Gaspar Pereyra is recorded to have participated in the colonization efforts in Brazil.
Another notable individual bearing the Pereyra surname was Juan Pereyra, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. He is mentioned in several historical accounts of the time.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure named Francisco Pereyra served as the Governor of Buenos Aires, a Spanish colony in present-day Argentina, from 1727 to 1732.
Over the centuries, the Pereyra name has been associated with various distinguished individuals across different fields, including politics, literature, and the arts. For example, María Pereyra was a renowned Spanish poet and writer who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While variations in spelling, such as Pereира, Pereуra, and Pereírа, can be found in historical records, the surname Pereyra has maintained its strong presence and significance throughout its rich history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pereyra
Among Census respondents with the surname Pereyra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pereyra 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 Pereyra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.8% · 3,492
- White6.0% · 239
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.6% · 183
- Two or more races0.7% · 29
- Black or African American0.7% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pereyra
Pereyra 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
#8,496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,877
+1,146 bearers (+42.0%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Up 2,229 places
2020
#7,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,976
+99 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Up 505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,725 | 2,731 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,496 | 3,877 | 1.31 | +1,146 bearers (+42.0%) | Up 2,229 places |
| 2020 | #7,991 | 3,976 | 1.33 | +99 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 505 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 Pereyra 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 | #8,496 | #7,991 | 5.9% |
| Count | 3,877 | 3,976 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.33 | 1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pereyra bearers went from 3,877 to 3,976 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 505 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,496 to #7,991.
FAQ
Pereyra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pereyra?
Name Census estimates that about 4,559 living Americans carry the surname Pereyra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,182 residents.
How common is Pereyra?
Pereyra ranks #7,991 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,976 people with the surname Pereyra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,559), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Pereyra.
Has Pereyra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pereyra went from 3,877 recorded bearers to 3,976. That is an increase of 99 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,496 to #7,991.
What does the Census say about the background of Pereyra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pereyra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%). 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 Pereyra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (3,492 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pereyra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.8%), White (6.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%). 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 Pereyra (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 Pereyra mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating a person from Pereira, Portugal, or a place with pear trees. 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 Pereyra (1.33 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 Pereyra?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.