PEREZ - Name Meaning & Origin

A patronymic name derived from Pero, Pedro, Petrus, Petros, etc. - meaning "son of Pero." The suffix "ez" means "descendant of" in Spanish. It is also believed that PEREZ comes from the apostle Simon, whom Jesus called "rock" (Pedro in Spanish means "rock") in tribute to his designation as the "rock" or foundation of the church.

2) The surname Perez may possibly be derived from the name of the pear tree, "peral."

3) Perez may be a variation of the Sephardic Jewish surname, Peretz.

Perez is the 29th most popular surname in the United States based on data from the 2000 census and the 7th most common surname in Argentina. It's also the 7th most common Hispanic last name.

Surname Origin: Spanish

Alternate Surname Spellings: PERES, PERET, PERETZ, PERETS, PHAREZ, PAREZ, PERIS

Famous People with the Surname PEREZ:

• Rosie Perez - American actress
• George Perez - comic book artist
• Selena Quintanilla-Perez - American "queen of tejano music"

Genealogy Resources for the Surname PEREZ: 

100 Most Common U.S. Surnames & Their Meanings
Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census?

Common Hispanic Surnames & Their Meanings
Learn about the origins of Hispanic last names, and the meanings of many of the most common Spanish surnames.

Perez Family Tree DNA
This Surname Project traces members of the Perez family through Y-DNA testing.

Perez Name Meaning & Family History
An overview of the Perez surname meaning, plus subscription-based access to genealogical records on Perez families around the world from Ancestry.com.

Perez Family Genealogy Forum
Search this popular genealogy forum for the Perez surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Perez query.

FamilySearch - PEREZ Genealogy
Find records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Perez surname and its variations.

PEREZ Surname & Family Mailing Lists
RootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Perez surname.

DistantCousin.com - PEREZ Genealogy & Family History
Free databases and genealogy links for the last name Perez.

-- Looking for the meaning of a given name? Check out First Name Meanings

-- Can't find your last name listed? Suggest a surname to be added to the Glossary of Surname Meanings & Origins.

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References: Surname Meanings & Origins

Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.

Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005.

Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004.

Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.

Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.

Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

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