2010
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Piris
A surname of French origin possibly derived from the word "perie" meaning pear tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 220 Americans carry the last name Piris. That puts it at #100,469 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,557,974 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Piris 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
220
1 in 1,557,974
Census rank
#100,469
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
192
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 192 bearers of the surname Piris in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 100469th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Piris, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and White (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Piris
The surname Piris has its origins in the Spanish region of Galicia. It is believed to have emerged in the 8th or 9th century, likely derived from the Latin word "pirus," meaning pear tree. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify someone who lived near or worked with pear trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Piris surname dates back to the 11th century, where it appears in the Cartulario de Celanova, a collection of documents from the Monastery of Celanova in Galicia. This indicates that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.
In the 12th century, the Piris surname is mentioned in the Tumbo Viejo de Lugo, an ancient cartulary from the Cathedral of Lugo, also located in Galicia. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of the region by that point.
During the 13th century, the name Piris appeared in the Libro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a document that recorded land ownership and taxation in the Kingdom of Castile. This indicates that individuals bearing the Piris surname had begun to establish themselves outside of Galicia as well.
One notable individual with the Piris surname was Pedro Piris, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. Another was Juan Piris, a Galician poet and writer who lived in the 17th century and is known for his works in the Galician language.
In the 18th century, María Piris, a Spanish philanthropist and benefactor, established a charitable foundation in her hometown of Ribadavia, Galicia, which continues to operate to this day.
Francisco Piris, born in 1875 in Pontevedra, Galicia, was a prominent Spanish politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Spanish parliament in the early 20th century.
José Piris, born in 1938 in Vigo, Galicia, was a renowned Spanish jurist and legal scholar who held important positions in the European Union and the European Commission.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Piris
Among Census respondents with the surname Piris, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and White (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Piris 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 Piris surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino71.9% · 138
- Black or African American13.5% · 26
- White7.8% · 15
- Two or more races3.6% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Piris
Piris appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#100,469
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 192
+65 bearers (+51.2%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 32,579 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #100,469 | 192 | 0.06 | +65 bearers (+51.2%) | Up 32,579 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 Piris 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 | #133,048 | #100,469 | 24.5% |
| Count | 127 | 192 | 51.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.06 | 60.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Piris bearers went from 127 to 192 (+51.2% change). The surname moved up 32,579 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #100,469.
FAQ
Piris surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Piris?
Name Census estimates that about 220 living Americans carry the surname Piris. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,557,974 residents.
How common is Piris?
Piris ranks #100,469 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 192 people with the surname Piris. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (220), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Piris.
Has Piris become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Piris went from 127 recorded bearers to 192. That is an increase of 65 (+51.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #133,048 to #100,469.
What does the Census say about the background of Piris?
Among Census respondents with the surname Piris, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and White (7.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Piris in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.9% (138 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Piris appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (71.9%), Black (13.5%), White (7.8%). 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 Piris (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 Piris mean?
A surname of French origin possibly derived from the word "perie" meaning 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 Piris (0.06 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 Piris?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Piris is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.