Pereira is a surname in the Portuguese and Galician languages, well known and quite common, mostly in Portugal, Galicia, Brazil, other regions of the former Portuguese Empire, among Galician descendants in Spanish-speaking Latin America. The adoption of this surname also became common among Sephardic Jews of Portuguese origin and was historically spread throughout the Sephardic Jewish diaspora[citation needed]. Origin: toponymic/natural world, from Latin pirum or pyrus (pear, pear-tree). Currently, it is one of the most common surnames in South America and Europe. Started as a noble Christian toponym of the Middle Ages, taken from the feudal estate of Pereira, Portugal, which in Portuguese means 'pear tree'.

Pereira
Coat of arms associated with Pereira surname
Pronunciation[pɨˈɾɐjɾɐ] or [peˈɾejɾɐ]
Origin
Word/namePortuguese, Galician
Meaning"pear tree"
Region of originPortugal, and Galicia region of Spain
Other names
Variant form(s)Da Pereira, Dapereira, Pereyra, Pereiras, Pereyras, Perera, Pereire, Peral, Perales and others
The coat of arms of Saint Nuno Álvares Pereira. The cross, which is a cross flory voided, is a common charge found in the coats of arms of Pereira families, as are the red and white colours.
The coat of arms of Diego Pereira d'Aguilar, a baron of the Holy Roman Empire and privy councilor to the Crowns of the Netherlands and Italy

The variants of this name are more commonly found in other countries like Spain (Galicia) with different spellings such as Pereyra or Perera, Trinidad and Tobago, India (specifically between Goa and Kerala along the Konkan coast), Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In France, the variant is Pereire. Many Portuguese immigrants to the United States, especially Massachusetts, chose to Americanize their surname into Perry.

Notable people edit

See also Pereyra and Perera.

Politics edit

Music and dance edit

  • Alexander Pereira (born 1947), head of La Scala
  • Linda Perry (Pereira) (born 1965), American record producer, songwriter, singer
  • Erica Pereira, New York City Ballet soloist
  • Steve Perry (Pereira) (born 1949), American singer
  • Luciano Pereyra (born 1981), Argentine singer
  • Luis Pereyra (born 1965), Argentine dancer and choreographer of Tango Argentino and Argentinian folklore
  • Joe Perry (Pereira) (born 1950), American rock guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter
  • David Pereira (born 1953), Australian classical cellist
  • Poppy (Moriah Rose Pereira) (born 1995), American singer and YouTube personality
  • Linn da Quebrada (Lina Pereira), Brazilian singer, actor, and screenwriter
  • Tina Pereira, Trinidadian-Canadian ballet dancer
  • Pocah (Viviane de Queiroz Pereira), Brazilian singer and television personality

Sports edit

Others edit

See also edit

External links edit