Perez Family History & Genealogy

Summary

The Hispanic double surname system traces back to the nobility class of Castile in the 16th century. The first surname generally comes from the father and is the primary family name, while the second (or last) surname comes from the mother. A man named Gabriel García Marquez, for example, indicates a father's surname of García and the mother's surname, Marquez. Portuguese names, including surnames from Brazil where Portuguese is the predominant language, often follow a different pattern than other Spanish speaking countries, with the mother's surname coming first, followed by the father's name, or primary family name.
In most Hispanic cultures women generally keep their father's surname (maiden name) throughout their life. Some also choose to add their husband's surname to the end of their own, or in place of their mother's surname, sometimes with a de between the two surnames. Thus, a wife will generally have a different double surname than her husband, and the childrenwill have a different double surname than either of their parents.
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Hispanic naming patterns were less consistent. It wasn't unusual, for example, for male children to be given the surname of their father, while females took the surname of their mothers. The double surname system which originated among the Castilian upper classes during the sixteenth century, did not come into common use throughout Spain until the nineteenth century. Thus double surnames in use prior to 1800 may reflect something other than the paternal and maternal surnames, such as a way to distinguish one family with a common surname from others of the same surname. Surnames might also have been chosen from a prominent family or even from grandparents.

History

PEREZ Surname 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.


The Hispanic double surname system traces back to the nobility class of Castile in the 16th century. The first surname generally comes from the father and is the primary family name, while the second (or last) surname comes from the mother. A man named Gabriel García Marquez, for example, indicates a father's surname of García and the mother's surname, Marquez. Portuguese names, including surnames from Brazil where Portuguese is the predominant language, often follow a different pattern than other Spanish speaking countries, with the mother's surname coming first, followed by the father's name, or primary family name.
In most Hispanic cultures women generally keep their father's surname (maiden name) throughout their life. Some also choose to add their husband's surname to the end of their own, or in place of their mother's surname, sometimes with a de between the two surnames. Thus, a wife will generally have a different double surname than her husband, and the childrenwill have a different double surname than either of their parents.
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Hispanic naming patterns were less consistent. It wasn't unusual, for example, for male children to be given the surname of their father, while females took the surname of their mothers. The double surname system which originated among the Castilian upper classes during the sixteenth century, did not come into common use throughout Spain until the nineteenth century. Thus double surnames in use prior to 1800 may reflect something other than the paternal and maternal surnames, such as a way to distinguish one family with a common surname from others of the same surname. Surnames might also have been chosen from a prominent family or even from grandparents.

Name Origin

We don't have any information on the origins of the Perez name. Have information to share?

Spellings & Pronunciations

Alternate Surname Spellings:


PERES, PERET, PERETZ, PERETS, PHAREZ, PAREZ, PERIS, PARRISH

Nationality & Ethnicity

We don't have any information on the nationality / ethnicity of the Perez name. Have information to share?

Famous People named Perez

Rosie Perez- American actress
George Perez - comic book artist

Early Perezes

These are the earliest records we have of the Perez family.