Peraza
A Spanish surname likely tied to pears or a place-name built from the word for pear.
The #5,811 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 51,899 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Peraza is usually explained from Spanish pear vocabulary, ultimately from Latin *pirum* “pear.” The provided source glosses it alongside forms related to *pera* and *peral* (“pear tree”), suggesting a derivation connected with pears, pear trees, or a place named from them. Because the excerpt is only an incidental mention, the exact chain is not fully secure, but the name clearly belongs to the Spanish family of surnames built on fruit-tree words.
History
Peraza is best known as a Spanish surname, with strong associations in the Canary Islands and the Hispanic world more broadly. Historically, surnames of this type often arose from local place-names, landholding families, or descriptive references to orchards and cultivated land. The form has remained relatively uncommon compared with more widespread Spanish surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Surnames built on fruit-tree words are common in Spanish, and Peraza likely belongs to that broad naming pattern.
From the historical record
“Perales. Plural de peral: 0 Peraza. Pera de peral injerto. Perdiguero. El perro u otro animal que caza perdices. Recovero que compra de los cazadores la caza para ven- derla.”
— Diccionario de los apellidos