2000
#12,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,220
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Pero
A Spanish and Italian surname referring to a pear tree or someone who lived near a pear tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,308 Americans carry the last name Pero. That puts it at #14,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pero 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
2.3K
1 in 148,507
Census rank
#14,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,013 bearers of the surname Pero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pero, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Black (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pero
The surname PERO has its origins in Spain and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "petrus," which means "rock" or "stone." This name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Catalonia and Aragon.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PERO surname can be found in the 12th-century Catalan manuscript "Liber Feudorum Maior," which documented feudal agreements and land transfers. The name is mentioned in connection with a nobleman named Ramón PERO, who held lands in the Pyrenees mountains.
During the Reconquista, the period when Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula fought to reclaim territories from the Moors, the PERO surname gained further prominence. Several notable figures with this surname played significant roles in military campaigns and the establishment of new settlements.
One such figure was Pedro PERO, a renowned knight who fought alongside King James I of Aragon in the 13th century. He was instrumental in the conquest of Valencia and was rewarded with lands in the newly acquired territory.
In the 15th century, a prominent family bearing the PERO surname rose to prominence in the city of Barcelona. Juan PERO, a wealthy merchant and banker, was a influential figure in the city's economic and political affairs. His descendants continued to play important roles in Catalan society for generations.
Another notable figure was Catalina PERO, a 16th-century writer and humanist from Valencia. She was renowned for her literary works and her contributions to the intellectual and cultural life of the Renaissance period.
During the Age of Exploration, the PERO surname also spread to the Americas, as Spanish settlers and conquistadors ventured across the Atlantic. One such explorer was Hernán PERO, who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 16th century.
Throughout history, the PERO surname has been associated with various place names and localities, reflecting the family's origins and migrations. Some examples include Peralada, a town in Catalonia, and Peromingo, a municipality in the province of Salamanca.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pero
Among Census respondents with the surname Pero, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Black (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pero 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 Pero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 1,637
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 133
- Black or African American3.8% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 55
- Two or more races2.5% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pero
Pero 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
#13,544
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,239
+19 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 787 places
2020
#14,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,013
-226 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 756 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,757 | 2,220 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,544 | 2,239 | 0.76 | +19 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 787 places |
| 2020 | #14,300 | 2,013 | 0.67 | -226 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 756 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 Pero 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 | #13,544 | #14,300 | -5.6% |
| Count | 2,239 | 2,013 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.67 | -11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pero bearers went from 2,239 to 2,013 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 756 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,544 to #14,300.
FAQ
Pero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pero?
Name Census estimates that about 2,308 living Americans carry the surname Pero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,507 residents.
How common is Pero?
Pero ranks #14,300 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,013 people with the surname Pero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,308), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Pero.
Has Pero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pero went from 2,239 recorded bearers to 2,013. That is a decrease of 226 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,544 to #14,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Pero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pero, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Black (3.8%). 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 Pero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (1,637 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.3%), Hispanic (6.6%), Black (3.8%). 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 Pero (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 Pero mean?
A Spanish and Italian surname referring to a pear tree or someone who lived near a pear tree. 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 Pero (0.67 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 Pero?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.