Pires
A Portuguese and Galician surname that usually means “son of Pedro” or comes from a related Iberian pet form of Peter.
The #5,986 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 53,732 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Pires is an Iberian surname built from the old personal name Pedro, ultimately from Latin Petrus, meaning “rock” or “stone.” In Portuguese naming practice, it developed as a patronymic form, originally indicating “descendant of Pedro.” The ending -es is a common medieval Portuguese patronymic marker, so Pires is closely related in function to names like Rodrigues or Gonçalves.
History
The surname is long established in Portugal and Galicia and spread widely through Portuguese migration, especially to Brazil and other parts of the Lusophone world. It remains common today in Portugal, Brazil, and Portuguese-speaking communities abroad. In Spanish-language contexts it is often associated with the neighboring form Pérez, though the two developed separately.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Pires is one of several classic Portuguese surnames whose medieval -es ending preserves an older patronymic system still visible in many common Iberian family names.
Notable people named Pires
- Robert Pires (b. 1973)
- Pedro Pires (b. 1934)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.