2000
#14,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,937
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Perreira
A Portuguese occupational surname referring to a pear tree grower or someone living near a pear tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,209 Americans carry the last name Perreira. That puts it at #14,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,163 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Perreira 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
2.2K
1 in 155,163
Census rank
#14,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,926 bearers of the surname Perreira in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Perreira, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.3%) and Two or More Races (19.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Perreira
The surname Perreira is of Portuguese origin, with its roots tracing back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Portuguese word "pereiro," which refers to a pear tree or a place where pear trees grow abundantly.
One of the earliest recorded references to this surname can be found in the 14th-century records of the Portuguese monarchy, where a nobleman named Afonso Perreira is mentioned as a courtier during the reign of King Afonso IV.
The name's geographical origins are associated with the northern regions of Portugal, particularly the areas around Porto and Braga, where pear cultivation was prevalent in the Middle Ages.
In the 16th century, the name Perreira gained further prominence with the exploits of Pedro Álvares Perreira, a renowned Portuguese explorer and navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyages to India. Perreira's contributions to these expeditions solidified the name's association with Portugal's Age of Discovery.
Another notable figure bearing this surname was João Perreira, a 17th-century Portuguese architect who played a significant role in the reconstruction efforts following the devastating earthquake that struck Lisbon in 1755. His architectural works, including the Basilica da Estrela, remain iconic landmarks in the city.
As the Portuguese Empire expanded across the globe, the Perreira surname traveled with colonists and settlers to various parts of the world. In Brazil, for instance, the name can be traced back to the early days of Portuguese colonization, with several prominent figures emerging throughout the country's history, such as José Perreira da Cunha, a 19th-century politician and journalist from the state of Minas Gerais.
Moving into the 20th century, the Perreira surname gained international recognition through the achievements of individuals like Armando Perreira, a renowned Portuguese footballer who played for Benfica and the national team in the 1950s and 1960s, and Luís Perreira, a contemporary Portuguese architect known for his innovative and sustainable designs.
While the surname Perreira has its roots firmly planted in Portugal, it has since spread across various continents, carried by individuals of Portuguese descent, and has become a part of the rich tapestry of global cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Perreira
Among Census respondents with the surname Perreira, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.3%) and Two or More Races (19.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Perreira 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 Perreira surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White42.5% · 819
- Hispanic or Latino20.3% · 391
- Two or more races19.3% · 371
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.2% · 254
- Black or African American4.6% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Perreira
Perreira 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
#12,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,398
+461 bearers (+23.8%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 1,375 places
2020
#14,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,926
-472 bearers (-19.7%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,951 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,212 | 1,937 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,837 | 2,398 | 0.81 | +461 bearers (+23.8%) | Up 1,375 places |
| 2020 | #14,788 | 1,926 | 0.64 | -472 bearers (-19.7%) | Down 1,951 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 Perreira 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 | #12,837 | #14,788 | -15.2% |
| Count | 2,398 | 1,926 | -19.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.64 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Perreira bearers went from 2,398 to 1,926 (-19.7% change). The surname moved down 1,951 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,837 to #14,788.
FAQ
Perreira surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Perreira?
Name Census estimates that about 2,209 living Americans carry the surname Perreira. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,163 residents.
How common is Perreira?
Perreira ranks #14,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,926 people with the surname Perreira. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,209), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Perreira.
Has Perreira become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Perreira went from 2,398 recorded bearers to 1,926. That is a decrease of 472 (-19.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,837 to #14,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Perreira?
Among Census respondents with the surname Perreira, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.3%) and Two or More Races (19.3%). 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 Perreira in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.5% (819 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Perreira appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (42.5%), Hispanic (20.3%), Two or More Races (19.3%). 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 Perreira (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 Perreira mean?
A Portuguese occupational surname referring to a pear tree grower or someone living 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 Perreira (0.64 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 have the surname Perreira?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.