2000
#6,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,733
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.75
Rare Last name
Pires
A Portuguese toponymic surname indicating a person who lived near or originated from a place with pear trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,009 Americans carry the last name Pires. That puts it at #5,493 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,902 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pires 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pires with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 48,902
Census rank
#5,493
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,112 bearers of the surname Pires in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5493rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pires, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Hispanic (7.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pires
The surname Pires is of Portuguese origin, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the ancient Portuguese town of Pires, located in the northern region of the country. The name itself is derived from the Latin word "pirus," meaning "pear tree," suggesting that the first bearers of this surname may have lived near or owned land with pear orchards.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pires surname can be found in the "Livro de Linhagens" (Book of Lineages), a Portuguese manuscript compiled in the 13th century. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Pires, indicating its presence among the noble families of that era.
During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, many Portuguese explorers and navigators bearing the Pires surname played significant roles in the expansion of the Portuguese Empire. One notable figure was Pedro Álvares Cabral (ca. 1467-1520), a Portuguese navigator who is credited with the discovery of Brazil in 1500.
Another prominent individual with the Pires surname was João Rodrigues Pires (fl. 1520-1530), a Portuguese cartographer and explorer who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his historic voyage around the world. His detailed accounts and maps were instrumental in advancing the knowledge of geography and navigation during that period.
In the realm of literature, the Pires surname is associated with Manuel Pires de Almeida (1628-1698), a Portuguese poet and playwright who was a prominent figure in the 17th-century literary circles of Lisbon. His works, including comedies and religious plays, were widely acclaimed and influential in shaping the literary landscape of his time.
Moving forward to the 19th century, José Joaquim Pires de Carvalho e Albuquerque (1802-1857) was a prominent Portuguese politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 1853 to 1856. He played a crucial role in the country's political affairs during a turbulent period in its history.
Another notable figure is Francisco Joaquim Pires (1834-1912), a Portuguese architect and urban planner who designed several iconic buildings and infrastructure projects in Lisbon and other cities. His works, including the Rossio Train Station and the Campo Pequeno Bullring, are considered architectural landmarks and testaments to his expertise.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and notable individuals associated with the Pires surname, highlighting its longstanding presence in Portuguese society and its contributions to various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pires
Among Census respondents with the surname Pires, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Hispanic (7.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pires 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 Pires surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.8% · 4,019
- Black or African American19.4% · 1,186
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 452
- Two or more races4.7% · 288
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 137
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pires
Pires 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
#5,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,746
+1,013 bearers (+21.4%)
Per 100,000 1.95
Rank movement Up 619 places
2020
#5,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,112
+366 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Up 493 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,605 | 4,733 | 1.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,986 | 5,746 | 1.95 | +1,013 bearers (+21.4%) | Up 619 places |
| 2020 | #5,493 | 6,112 | 2.04 | +366 bearers (+6.4%) | Up 493 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 Pires 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 | #5,986 | #5,493 | 8.2% |
| Count | 5,746 | 6,112 | 6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.95 | 2.04 | 4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pires bearers went from 5,746 to 6,112 (+6.4% change). The surname moved up 493 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,986 to #5,493.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pires
FAQ
Pires surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pires?
Name Census estimates that about 7,009 living Americans carry the surname Pires. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,902 residents.
How common is Pires?
Pires ranks #5,493 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,112 people with the surname Pires. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,009), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Pires.
Has Pires become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pires went from 5,746 recorded bearers to 6,112. That is an increase of 366 (+6.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,986 to #5,493.
What does the Census say about the background of Pires?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pires, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Hispanic (7.4%). 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 Pires in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.8% (4,019 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pires appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.8%), Black (19.4%), Hispanic (7.4%). 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 Pires (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 Pires mean?
A Portuguese toponymic surname indicating a person who lived near or originated from a place with pear trees. 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 Pires (2.04 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 last name Pires?
You can see how many people have the surname Pires on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.