How common is the surname Pierce?

138,629 people in the United States had the surname Pierce in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,227 Americans. It ranked 202nd of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Pierce?

Paul Pierce, American basketball player (born 1977), followed by David Hyde Pierce.

Where is the surname Pierce most common?

Wikidata records people named Pierce in the United States, the United Kingdom and Mexico.

Is the surname Pierce getting more or less common?

More common. 136,517 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 138,629 in 2010, up 1.5%.

Is Pierce also a first name?

Yes. Pierce 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 Pierce

A patronymic surname, carried by 138,629 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex P620 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Pierce is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

A surname originating as a patronymic.

Pierce 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 138,629 people named Pierce in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,227 Americans. That is up 1.5% since 2000, when the Census counted 136,517.

#202

rank among US surnames

138,629

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+1.5%

change since 2000 (was #186)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#193	Ryan	143,452	2,152
#194	Gardner	142,894	2,161
#195	Payne	142,601	2,165
#196	Grant	142,277	2,170
#197	Dunn	141,427	2,183
#198	Kelley	140,693	2,194
#199	Spencer	139,951	2,206

Who is named Pierce

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

81% of people named Pierce identified as white (not Hispanic), 13% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 81%
Black (not Hispanic) 13%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
Two or more races 2.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.1%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Pierces

35 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Paul Pierce
American basketball player (born 1977)
David Hyde Pierce
American actor and director, born 1959
Wendell Pierce
American actor and businessman, born 1963
William Luther Pierce
American neo-Nazi (1933–2002)
John R. Pierce
American electrical engineer, acoustics expert, and author (1910–2002)
Bradley Pierce
American actor, born 1982
Ricky Pierce
American basketball player (born 1959)
Jack Pierce
American sprint hurdler, born 1962
Jeffrey Pierce
American actor (born 1971)
Tamora Pierce
American writer of fantasy novels for children and adults, born 1954
Webb Pierce
American country musician (1921–1991)
G. W. Pierce
American physicist (1872–1956)

Notable Pierces come mostly from the United States (32), the United Kingdom (2) and Mexico (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Bearss

Surnames that sound like Pierce

Pierce has the Soundex code P620, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code P620.

Questions

How common is the surname Pierce?: 138,629 people in the United States had the surname Pierce in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,227 Americans. It ranked 202nd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Pierce?: In the 2010 Census, 81% of people named Pierce identified as white (not Hispanic), and 13% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Pierce?: Paul Pierce, American basketball player (born 1977), followed by David Hyde Pierce.
Where is the surname Pierce most common?: Wikidata records people named Pierce in the United States, the United Kingdom and Mexico.
What type of surname is Pierce?: Pierce is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Pierce getting more or less common?: More common. 136,517 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 138,629 in 2010, up 1.5%.
What are other spellings of Pierce?: Bearss.
Is Pierce also a first name?: Yes. Pierce 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.