Phares
A rare surname ultimately tied to the biblical name Perez, meaning “breach” or “breaking through.”
The #8,872 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 83,648 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Phares is a surname taken from the biblical personal name Phares, a traditional Greek and Latin form of Perez. In Hebrew, the name is usually explained from a root meaning “to break through” or “breach,” referring to the story in Genesis where Perez is born ahead of his twin. As a surname, it likely began as a given-name or baptismal name rather than as a place-name or occupation.
History
The name entered European Christian naming largely through Bible use, especially in forms influenced by the Vulgate and older English spellings. In English records, Phares is much less common than Perez or Peres, and it may sometimes reflect variant spellings or anglicized forms in families with biblical naming traditions. The 19th-century excerpt you provided only shows it as a name list, so the surname evidence there is indirect.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In the Bible, Perez is one of the ancestors named in the genealogy of King David and, in the New Testament tradition, of Jesus as well.
From the historical record
“Levi, Judah, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, Benoni, Benjamin, Manasseh, Ephraim, - Helon, - Israel, Hamor, Phares, Perez, Er, Onan, Aner, Jesurun, Manasses, - Pha- raoh, Hoffra (Hophra?), Petti pher (Potiphar?), Zera, Shes- huk (Shishak?), Ruel (Reuel), Gethro (Jethro), Amram, Moses, Aaron, Hur, Gershon, Uri…”
— A Grammar of American Surnames