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

Pérez, 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 Pérez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pérez in America

Pérez is the 22nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pérez surname appeared 681,645 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 231 people would have the surname Pérez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pérez 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 Pérez

The surname Perez originated in Spain and is derived from the Latin name Petrus, meaning "rock" or "stone". It is a patronymic surname, indicating "son of Peter".

The earliest recorded use of the surname Perez dates back to the 11th century in the regions of Castile and Aragon. It was commonly used among Spanish Jews and Moors during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest known references to the surname Perez can be found in the 13th-century work "Primera Crónica General" by Alfonso X, the King of Castile and León. This chronicle mentions several individuals with the surname Perez.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts, such as the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt) commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. This book listed several individuals with the surname Perez who were involved in hunting expeditions.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Perez was Gonzalo Perez, a 14th-century Spanish nobleman and military leader who served under King Alfonso XI during the Reconquista.

Another notable figure with the surname Perez was Pedro Perez, a 15th-century Spanish poet and playwright who was part of the literary movement known as the "Cancionero" in Castile.

During the 16th century, the surname Perez gained prominence with individuals like Antonio Perez (1540-1611), a Spanish statesman and secretary to King Philip II. He played a significant role in the Aragonese Revolt against the Spanish monarchy.

In the 17th century, Juan Perez de Montalban (1602-1638), a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright, became one of the most renowned figures with the surname Perez. He was a prominent figure of the Spanish Golden Age of literature.

Another notable individual was José Perez de Rubí (1760-1847), a Spanish military officer and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1847 to 1848.

As the surname Perez spread across the Spanish-speaking world, it became associated with various place names and older spellings, such as Perez de la Frontera and Perez de Arroyo.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pérez

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

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

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

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