Contents [hide]

Perea History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Perea History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the Perea family first reached the shores of England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Their name is derived from the name Peter. This name was a baptismal name that was originally derived from the French name Pierre and was a diminutive of the name Parrot, which means little Peter.

Interestingly, the English word "parrot," for the talking bird, was not in use until the 16th century, much later than this word's use as a surname.

Another source claims the name was originally "De Perrott from Castel Perrott, which he built in Armorica (Brittany), and the town of Perrott, one league from it. He came over to England in 957, and obtained some lands in Wessex, on a river which changed its name to the Perrot (now corrupted to the Parret), in Somersetshire." 1

Early Origins of the Perea family

The surname Perea was first found in Pembrokeshire where they were granted the lands of Ystington, Haroldston, and Carew Castle in that shire by King William for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. 2 Sir Stephen Perrott married Helen, the daughter of Marchion Ap Rice, Prince of South Wales at the beginning of the 12th century. "The valour and magnanimity of Sir Stephen gained him the respect and love of the Princess Ellyn's people. Their son, Sir Andrew, claimed the kingdom of Wales, in right of his mother, and collected a body of forces in assertion of his right, but the King of England marched a numerous army into the country to take advantage of the disorders; the knowledge of which and a sum of money offered by the English king, through the Bishop of St. David's, brought him to declare for that prince, who knighted him, on his doing homage for the land for twenty miles round Sir William's camp, whereon he built the Castle of Narbeth, whose ruins are extant in Pembroke." 1

Thorp Perrot Hall is a large 18th-century country house standing in an estate on the northern edge of Snape village. North Perrot(t) is a parish, in the union of Yeovil, hundred of Houndsborough, Berwick, and Coker, W. division of Somerset and South Perrot(t) is a parish, in the union of Beaminster, hundred of Beaminster-Forum, and Redhone, Bridport division of Dorset. 3

"The name of Parrott, probably a form of Perrett or Perrott, a common Somersetshire name, is better represented in Buckinghamshire, and is referred to also under that county. There was a gentle family of Parratt in the parish of Enstone [Oxfordshire] during the reign of Elizabeth." 4

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. Ralph Perot was listed in Essex in 1235 and later in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 in Bedfordshire. William Poret was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1301; and John Parrat was in early London records in 1344. 5

Early History of the Perea family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Perea research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1528, 1550, 1571, 1579, 1583, 1588, 1592, 1597, 1601, 1604, 1608, 1611, 1617, 1622, 1626, 1629, 1636, 1659, 1671, 1677, 1679 and 1683 are included under the topic Early Perea History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Perea Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Perrot, Parrott, Parrot, Perrott, Perot, Perott, Perrett and many more.

Early Notables of the Perea family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Rober Perrot (died 1550), English organist of Magdalen College, Oxford, second son of George Perrot of Harroldston, Pembrokeshire; Sir James Perrot (1571-1636), a Welsh writer and politician, Member of Parliament for Haverfordwest in 1597, (1604-1622) and (1626-1629), Custos Rotulorum of Pembrokeshire...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Perea Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Perea Ranking

In the United States, the name Perea is the 4,658^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Perea family to Ireland

Some of the Perea family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 104 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Perea migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Perea or a variant listed above:

Perea Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juan Perea, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1803 7
Francisco De Perea, who landed in America in 1812 7
Cristobal Perea, who arrived in America in 1827 7
Antonio Perea, who arrived in America in 1838 7
Jose Perea, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1854 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Perea migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 8

Perea Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century

Bartolome Perea, who landed in Cuba in 1875 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Perea (post 1700) +

Francisco Perea (1830-1913), American Republican to the Thirty-eighth Congress and Union Army officer in the American Civil War
Pedro Perea (1852-1906), American elected as a Republican to the Fifty-sixth Congress, cousin of Francisco Perea
Henry T. Perea (b. 1977), American politician, Member of the California State Assembly (2010-)
Robert Perea, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Mexico, 2008 9
Pedro Perea (1852-1906), American politician, Delegate to U.S. Congress from New Mexico Territory, 1899-1901 9
Mike Perea, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Mexico, 1980 9
Henry T. Perea, American Democratic Party politician, Member, Rules Committee, Democratic National Convention, 2008 9
Francisco Perea (1830-1913), American politician, Delegate to U.S. Congress from New Mexico Territory, 1863 9
Édgar José Perea Arias (1934-2016), Colombian politician, footballer, radio and TV commentator, Colombia Ambassador to South Africa (2009-2016), Colombia Ambassador to Mozambique (2009-2016), Colombia Ambassador to Botswana (2010-2016)
Luis Alberto Perea Pérez (b. 1986), Colombian footballer
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Perea Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Amo ut invenio
Motto Translation: I love as I find

Citations +

Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html