How common is the surname Pearson?

101,836 people in the United States had the surname Pearson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,032 Americans. It ranked 308th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Pearson?

Lester B. Pearson, 14th Prime Minister of Canada, from 1963 to 1968 (1897–1972), followed by Sally Pearson.

Where is the surname Pearson most common?

Wikidata records people named Pearson in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 2 other countries.

How do you pronounce Pearson?

Pearson is /ˈpɪɹ.sən/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Pearson getting more or less common?

More common. 98,728 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 101,836 in 2010, up 3.1%.

Is Pearson also a first name?

Yes. Pearson is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Pearson

A patronymic surname, carried by 101,836 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈpɪɹ.sən/ 2 syllables Soundex P625

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Pearson is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

From Piers + -son.

Pearson is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 101,836 people named Pearson in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 3,032 Americans. That is up 3.1% since 2000, when the Census counted 98,728.

#308

rank among US surnames

101,836

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3.1%

change since 2000 (was #281)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#299	Fowler	104,515	2,954
#300	Mejia	104,057	2,967
#301	Davidson	103,930	2,971
#302	Acosta	103,418	2,985
#303	Brewer	103,318	2,988
#304	May	103,306	2,989
#305	Holland	102,538	3,011

Who is named Pearson

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

72% of people named Pearson identified as white (not Hispanic), 23% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 72%
Black (not Hispanic) 23%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.2%
Two or more races 2.1%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.4%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Pearsons

30 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Lester B. Pearson
14th Prime Minister of Canada, from 1963 to 1968 (1897–1972)
Sally Pearson
Australian short-distance runner and hurdler, born 1986
April Pearson
British actress, born 1989
Virginia Pearson
American stage and film actress (1886-1958)
Adam Pearson
British actor, born 1985
Duke Pearson
American jazz pianist (1932–1980)
Luke Pearson
British cartoonist, born 1987
Felicia Pearson
American actress, born 1980
David Pearson
American racecar driver (1934-2018)
Morgan Pearson
American triathlete, born 1993
Eric Pearson
American screenwriter, born 1980
Todd Pearson
Australian swimmer, Olympic gold medallist, born 1977

Notable Pearsons come mostly from the United States (18), the United Kingdom (7) and Australia (3).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Pierson
Peirson

Surnames that sound like Pearson

Pearson has the Soundex code P625, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code P625.

Questions

Where does the surname Pearson come from?: From Piers + -son.
How common is the surname Pearson?: 101,836 people in the United States had the surname Pearson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,032 Americans. It ranked 308th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Pearson?: In the 2010 Census, 72% of people named Pearson identified as white (not Hispanic), and 23% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Pearson?: Lester B. Pearson, 14th Prime Minister of Canada, from 1963 to 1968 (1897–1972), followed by Sally Pearson.
Where is the surname Pearson most common?: Wikidata records people named Pearson in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 2 other countries.
How do you pronounce Pearson?: Pearson is /ˈpɪɹ.sən/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Pearson?: Pearson is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Pearson getting more or less common?: More common. 98,728 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 101,836 in 2010, up 3.1%.
What are other spellings of Pearson?: Pierson and Peirson.
Is Pearson also a first name?: Yes. Pearson is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.