Peiris, Peries or Pieris ( Sinhalese: පීරිස්) is a

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

attributed to the Sinhalese people of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. It is a common surname in the coastal regions of the island nation. The name originated from the Portuguese surname Peres, and was spread across Sri Lanka during

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

's colonization of the country. It is related to the Spanish variant Pérez, and Jewish variant Peretz. The name has been adapted into the Sinhalese language over time, hence the variation in its spelling. Notable people with the surname include: * Albert Peries (1905–1967), Ceylonese politician * Ivan Peries (1921–1988), Sri Lankan painter *

Lester James Peries Sri Lankabhimanya Lester James Peries (Sinhala language, Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකාභිමාන්‍ය ලෙස්ටර් ජේම්ස් පීරිස්; 5 April 1919 – 29 April 2018) was a Sri Lankan film director, ...

(1919–2018), Sri Lankan film director * Sumitra Peries (1935–2023), Sri Lankan film director * Amal Peiris (born 1985), Sri Lankan cricketer * Bernard Peiris (1908–1977), Ceylonese lawyer * Chathurika Peiris (born 1981), Sri Lankan actress * Eardley Peiris, Ceylonese broadcaster * Edmund Peiris, Ceylonese headman * Edmund Peiris, Sri Lankan clergyman, 2nd Bishop of Halawata * G. L. Peiris (born 1946), Sri Lankan academic and politician * Harold Peiris (1905–1981), Ceylonese lawyer *

Hiranya Peiris Hiranya Vajramani Peiris is a British astrophysicist at the University of Cambridge, where she holds the Professorship of Astrophysics (1909). She is best known for her work on the cosmic microwave background radiation, and interdisciplinary link ...

(born 1974), British astrophysicist * J. B. Peiris, Sri Lankan physician * James Peiris (1856–1930), Ceylonese politician * M. V. P. Peiris (1898–1988), Ceylonese surgeon and politician * Malik Peiris (born 1949), Hong Kong physician and academic * Milinda Peiris, Sri Lankan army officer * Mohan Peiris, Sri Lankan lawyer and judge * Ruwin Peiris (born 1970), Sri Lankan cricketer * Sachintha Peiris (born 1995), Sri Lankan cricketer * Stanley Peiris (1941–2002), Sri Lankan musician * Walikalage Sarath Peiris Jayawardene (born 1969), Sri Lankan Sinhala cricketer * Ernest Victor Pieris (1926–1991), Sri Lankan physician, medical educator, cricketer and rugby player * Mevan Pieris (born 1946), Sri Lankan cricketer * Nehara Pieris, Sri Lankan actress * Justin Pieris Deraniyagala (1903–1967), Sri Lankan Sinhala painter

See also