Fun Facts About the Name Perez
- 591 babies named Perez: U.S. records list 591 babies given the name Perez from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Perez Mean?
Perez is a Spanish surname meaning "son of Pero." Pero is a medieval Spanish form of Pedro, the Spanish equivalent of Peter. The ending -ez is a patronymic suffix used throughout Spanish and Portuguese names, as in Hernández, Rodríguez, and González; it marks the bearer as the son or descendant of a man who bore that given name. Peter itself traces back through Latin Petrus and Greek Petros to Aramaic Kepa, meaning "rock" or "stone," but the surname's literal sense is filial: son of Pedro.
The Spanish surname is not related in origin to the biblical Hebrew name Perez (also spelled Peretz), borne by a son of Judah and Tamar in the Book of Genesis. That Hebrew name means "breach" or "breakthrough." A shared spelling does not imply a shared root.
Perez Name History & Origins
The -ez patronymic pattern took shape in the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula, above all in Castile and León. Earlier custom identified a person by a parent's name directly, sometimes with the Latin word filius ("son"); over the Middle Ages the compact -ez form replaced that practice. What began as a way to label a man as a son of Pero became hereditary, so later generations kept the surname after the ancestor named Pero was no longer remembered.
Perez traveled with the Spanish language to the Americas and to other regions reached by Spanish settlement and administration, and it is among the common Hispanic surnames. Regional spellings and variants include Peres and the accented Pérez. The surname also appears among Sephardic Jewish families of Iberian descent, where patronymics of this type were widely used.
How Popular is the Name Perez?
Perez has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1991. Its best rank was #2,789 in 1984.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,419 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #9,623 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #10,515 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #13,824 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #9,325 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #10,533 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #8,011 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #8,649 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #10,450 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #11,732 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #5,924 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2013 | #5,582 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2012 | #10,480 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #9,388 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #10,468 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #9,646 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #10,733 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #8,732 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #13,502 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2005 | #11,116 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #8,720 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #5,800 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2001 | #11,855 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #6,698 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1999 | #5,949 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1998 | #8,224 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #7,909 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #10,129 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #4,000 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1994 | #5,036 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #4,629 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1992 | #4,790 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1991 | #2,892 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 1990 | #3,731 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1989 | #5,483 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #3,314 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1987 | #3,465 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1986 | #3,598 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1985 | #3,976 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1984 | #2,789 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1983 | #3,804 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1982 | #4,890 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #4,835 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #3,511 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1978 | #4,074 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #6,589 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1976 | #4,791 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #3,381 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1974 | #4,090 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #3,383 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #3,536 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1971 | #3,300 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1970 | #3,222 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1969 | #3,254 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1966 | #3,462 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #3,922 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #3,548 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #3,290 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1960 | #4,456 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1959 | #3,221 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #4,355 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1956 | #3,836 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #3,787 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #3,728 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Perez Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Perez's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Perez's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.