Pereira (surname)

Pereira is a common surname in the Portuguese and Galician languages, a well known surname, quite common mostly in Portugal, the Galicia region of Spain, Brazil, other regions of the former Portuguese Empire, among Galician descendants in Spanish-speaking Latin America and by adoption also common among Sephardic Jews of Portuguese origin throughout the Sephardic Jewish diaspora. Currently, it is one of the most common surnames in South America and Europe.

Pereira

Coat of arms associated with Pereira surname
Pronunciation	[pɨ.ˈɾɐj.ɾɐ] or [pɨ.ˈɾej.ɾɐ]
Origin
Word/name	Portuguese, Galician
Meaning	"pear tree"
Region of origin	Portugal, 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

It was originally a noble Christian toponym of the Middle Ages, taken from the feudal possession of Pereira, Portugal, which in Portuguese means 'pear tree'.

The variants of this name are more commonly found in other countries such as Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, India (specifically between Goa and Kerala along the Konkan coast), Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Pereire, for example, is a French variant. Many Portuguese immigrants to the United States, especially Massachusetts, chose to Americanize their surname to Perry.

As a toponymic surname, it does not refer to a single lineage with a single founder, but to various unrelated lineages.