Sunday, November 15, 2009

Does anyone know how "Perez" a Biblical Hebrew name became a popular Hispanic surname?

Right across the Strait of Gibraltar from Morocco to Spain the name came along with the peoples. Spain was the first place where Hebrew and Arabic peoples lived together in harmony. I just saw this on PBS this week. Ferdinand and Isabella were the first to make Spain a purely Christian country, PBS used the point to show that Christians, Jews, and Muslims can live together and have in the past. The name Perez was already set before the inquisition and before Ferdinand and Isabella.





Perez Name Meaning and History


Spanish (P茅rez) and Jewish (Sephardic): patronymic from the personal name Pedro, Spanish equivalent of Peter.


Jewish: variant of Peretz. 驻专抓 (cf. Genesis 38:29)

Does anyone know how "Perez" a Biblical Hebrew name became a popular Hispanic surname?
It's popular because the Spanish were severely Catholic when surnames were being chosen and it was very common for them to take Biblical terms as their own to show their piety. That's also how names like Santos and Angeles became so common. If you were Jewish and wanted to hide it from the Inquisition, you'd choose a Biblical name from the OT so that the local officials would think you might just possibly be a Catholic or at least a fairly religious person. No one knew when the Spanish Inquisition might appear, so the populace did their best to fly under the Inquisition's radar, so to speak.
Reply:I found this information for you.


Surname: Perez


Of all the surnames which derive from the saints and disciples of the Christian church, 'Petros' meaning 'The rock' has provided the world with the greatest number of both given names and the later medieval surnames. In their different spellings ranging from Peter, Pieter, and Pierre, to patronymics Peterson, Peters, Peres, Perez, Peers, and even the Armenian Bedrosian, to diminutives such as Poschel, Piotrek, Petrenko, and Pietrusska, there are estimated to be over seven hundred spellings. At least one form appears as a popular surname in every European country. The original name was Greek, and Christ chose Peter to be 'the rock' on which the church was to be founded. The name became very popular in Europe following the twelve 'crusades' of the early medieval period, when various kings sought to free the Holy Land. Thereafter the name spread to every country, replacing the original 'local' names. Early examples of the surname recording taken from authentic registers in both Europe and the Americas include Luke Petre of London, England, in 1282, William Petres of Somerset, England, in 1327, Andres Guillen Perez, at Aguaron, Zaragoza, Spain, on December 7th 1565, Martina Josepha Perez, of Santa Catarina, Mexico, on December 23rd 1775, and Antonio Diego Peres, who married Maria Ysabel Yorba, at San Gabriel, Los Angeles, on January 4th 1864. The blazon of the coat of arms is very distinctive. It has a red field charged with a chross flory between four fleur de lis, all gold. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ralph Peter, which was dated 1195, in the pipe rolls of the county of Hertford, during the reign of King Richard 1st of England, known as 'Lion-heart', 1189 - 1199. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
Reply:no, but i'd like to knw because that's going to be my babies last name!


good luck!


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