2000
#1,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,730
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.28
Uncommon Last name
Pierson
An English occupational surname referring to a stone mason or quarry worker who worked with stone.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,533 Americans carry the last name Pierson. That puts it at #1,292 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,226 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pierson surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pierson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
31K
1 in 11,226
Census rank
#1,292
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,626 bearers of the surname Pierson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1292nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pierson, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pierson
The surname PIERSON has its origins in medieval England, emerging sometime around the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Old French name "Piers" or "Pierre," which was a common diminutive form of the personal name "Peter." The suffix "-son" was added to indicate "son of," forming the patronymic surname PIERSON, meaning "son of Piers" or "son of Pierre."
The earliest recorded instances of the PIERSON surname can be traced back to various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Norfolk. It is believed that the name may have been introduced to England during the Norman Conquest in 1066, as the French name "Pierre" was brought over by Norman settlers.
One of the earliest known references to the PIERSON surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were records of landholders in England at the time. The name appears as "Piers" and "Pierson" in these rolls, indicating its widespread use during the medieval period.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure named William PIERSON was recorded as the Rector of St. Michael's Church in Coventry, England, from 1349 to 1361. This historical reference demonstrates the presence of the PIERSON surname among the clergy and educated classes of the time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the PIERSON surname underwent various spelling variations, including PEERSON, PEIRSON, and PEIRCE, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings before standardization.
One of the most notable individuals with the PIERSON surname was Abraham PIERSON (1615-1678), an English-born Puritan minister who co-founded the Collegiate School, which later became Yale University. He played a significant role in the early establishment of education and religion in the American colonies.
Another prominent figure was Henry Munson PIERSON (1783-1857), an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from New York from 1825 to 1827.
In the field of literature, Mary Townsend Sharpless PIERSON (1878-1946) was an American author and educator known for her works on history and genealogy, including "The Pearson Genealogy" and "Descendants of Henry Drinker."
The PIERSON surname has also been associated with notable figures in various other fields, such as Arthur Tappan PIERSON (1837-1911), an American Presbyterian minister and author, and Merritt B. PIERSON (1824-1907), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War.
Throughout its history, the PIERSON surname has maintained a strong presence across various regions, reflecting the migration patterns and achievements of its bearers over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pierson
Among Census respondents with the surname Pierson, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pierson bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Pierson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 21,423
- Black or African American10.1% · 2,702
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,134
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 1,031
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 198
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 138
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pierson
Pierson appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,983
+253 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 9.49
Rank movement Down 96 places
2020
#1,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,626
-1,357 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 8.91
Rank movement Down 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,158 | 27,730 | 10.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,254 | 27,983 | 9.49 | +253 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 96 places |
| 2020 | #1,292 | 26,626 | 8.91 | -1,357 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 38 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Pierson surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,254 | #1,292 | -3.0% |
| Count | 27,983 | 26,626 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 9.49 | 8.91 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pierson bearers went from 27,983 to 26,626 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,254 to #1,292.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pierson
FAQ
Pierson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pierson?
Name Census estimates that about 30,533 living Americans carry the surname Pierson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,226 residents.
How common is Pierson?
Pierson ranks #1,292 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,626 people with the surname Pierson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,533), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Pierson.
Has Pierson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pierson went from 27,983 recorded bearers to 26,626. That is a decrease of 1,357 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,254 to #1,292.
What does the Census say about the background of Pierson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pierson, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pierson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (21,423 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pierson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.5%), Black (10.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Pierson (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Pierson mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a stone mason or quarry worker who worked with stone. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Pierson (8.91 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Pierson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.