2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Perreca
A surname likely derived from a place name or topographical feature in Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Perreca. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Perreca 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Perreca in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Perreca, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Perreca
The surname Perreca has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in Portugal and Spain, where it emerged during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "perrica," which referred to a small boat or skiff used for transportation along rivers and coastal areas.
In its earliest forms, the name was recorded as "Perrica" or "Perriga" in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. These early spellings suggest a connection to maritime activities or settlements located near bodies of water, such as rivers or the coastline.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Perreca can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese manuscript from the 14th century that documented noble families and their ancestral lines. This reference indicates that the name may have been associated with noble or aristocratic lineages during that time period.
During the 15th century, the surname Perreca began to appear in various church records and municipal documents across Portugal and Spain. This suggests that individuals bearing this name were dispersed throughout the Iberian region and may have held positions of prominence within their local communities.
Notable historical figures with the surname Perreca include:
1. Afonso Perreca (c. 1420 - 1498), a Portuguese nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the conquest of North Africa during the reign of King Afonso V.
2. Beatriz Perreca (c. 1460 - 1525), a Spanish noblewoman and philanthropist renowned for her charitable works and patronage of the arts in Seville.
3. Duarte Perreca (c. 1510 - 1582), a Portuguese explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his historic circumnavigation of the globe in the early 16th century.
4. Isabel Perreca (c. 1570 - 1640), a Portuguese poet and writer who gained recognition for her lyrical compositions and contributions to the literary circles of her time.
5. Rodrigo Perreca (c. 1625 - 1689), a Spanish architect and engineer known for his innovative designs and contributions to the reconstruction efforts in Madrid following the devastating fire of 1672.
As the centuries progressed, variations of the surname emerged, including "Perreira," "Pereyra," and "Pereira," which may have been influenced by regional dialects or the assimilation of the name into different linguistic contexts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Perreca
Among Census respondents with the surname Perreca, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Perreca 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 Perreca surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Perreca
Perreca 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-17 bearers (-14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 27,861 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 7,385 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.5%) | Down 27,861 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 7,385 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 Perreca 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 | #160,975 | #153,590 | 4.6% |
| Count | 100 | 104 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Perreca bearers went from 100 to 104 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 7,385 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #153,590.
FAQ
Perreca surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Perreca?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Perreca. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Perreca?
Perreca ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Perreca. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Perreca.
Has Perreca become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Perreca went from 100 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 4 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Perreca?
Among Census respondents with the surname Perreca, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Perreca in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Perreca appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Hispanic (1.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Perreca (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 Perreca mean?
A surname likely derived from a place name or topographical feature in Italy. 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 Perreca (0.03 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 Perreca?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.