Find out how popular the last name Pérez-Ortega 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-Ortega.

Pérez-Ortega, 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-Ortega surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pérez-Ortega in America

Pérez-Ortega is the 106570th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pérez-Ortega surname appeared 167 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Pérez-Ortega.

The history of the last name Pérez-Ortega

The surname PEREZORTEGA is a compound Spanish surname combining the patronymic surname Perez, meaning "son of Pedro", with the toponymic surname Ortega, referring to a place name derived from the Spanish word "ortiga" meaning "nettle". This indicates the name likely originated from regions of Spain where both Spanish and Portuguese cultural influences existed.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century, with references found in medieval Spanish records and manuscripts. One notable early bearer was Don Alonso Perez de Ortega, a nobleman and military commander who fought in the Reconquista campaigns against the Moors in the 1260s.

In the 15th century, the name appeared in the annals of the Spanish Inquisition, with Juan Perez Ortega listed as a converso (converted Jew) persecuted for allegedly practicing Judaism in secret. This highlights the complex history of the name during the turbulent period of religious intolerance in Spain.

Moving into the 16th century, the conquistador Hernán Pérez de Ortega accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to conquer the Aztec Empire in present-day Mexico. His name appears in historical accounts of the conquest, reflecting the spread of Spanish surnames to the New World.

In the 18th century, the renowned Spanish painter Luis Perez Ortega (1635-1707) gained fame for his religious works and portraits commissioned by the Spanish nobility. His masterpieces can still be admired in museums across Spain and Europe.

Another notable bearer was the 19th-century Spanish politician and writer Andrés Pérez Ortega (1801-1879), who played a prominent role in the political upheavals of the era and authored several influential texts on constitutional law and liberal reforms.

While the surname PEREZORTEGA originated in Spain, it has since spread globally due to Spanish emigration and colonization, with bearers found in various regions of Latin America, as well as in communities of Spanish descent worldwide.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pérez-Ortega

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

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-Ortega 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.

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-Ortega 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-Ortega, please contact us.

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