Pearson
Son of a person associated with pears or a pear orchard.
Name Census estimates that about 1,445 living Americans carry the first name Pearson. It is a predominantly male name (92.3% of registrations). The average person named Pearson today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pearson births was 2019 (69 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pearson. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 237,200 Americans
Peak year
2019
69 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,774
Tracked since 1898
Gender
Gender distribution for Pearson
Pearson leans heavily male at 92.3% of total registrations, but 126 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Pearson as a male name
- Ranked #2,774 in 2024
- 47 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (58 births)
Pearson as a female name
- Ranked #10,860 in 2024
- 9 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (11 births)
Popularity
Pearson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pearson from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 506 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Pearson remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pearson by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Pearson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pearsons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Texas, California, Georgia recorded the most babies named Pearson, while Virginia, South Carolina, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Pearson
The name Pearson originated from the English language and is believed to have emerged around the 12th century. It is a combination of the words "pear" and "son," suggesting that it was initially used to refer to the son of someone who cultivated or sold pears.
During the Middle Ages, names derived from occupations or familial relationships were common. Pearson likely belonged to this category, as it identified an individual's connection to the pear trade or cultivation.
While there are no known ancient texts or religious scriptures that directly mention the name Pearson, it is possible that it appeared in medieval records or documents related to trade or agriculture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pearson is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, England, from the year 1199, where a person named William Pearson is mentioned.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Pearson. Here are five examples:
1. John Pearson (1613-1686), an English theologian and scholar who served as the Bishop of Chester and wrote several works on theology and biography.
2. Karl Pearson (1857-1936), an English mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of statistics and developed the concept of the correlation coefficient.
3. Lester B. Pearson (1897-1972), a Canadian scholar, statesman, and diplomat who served as the 14th Prime Minister of Canada and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for his efforts in resolving the Suez Crisis.
4. Drew Pearson (1897-1969), an American journalist and author known for his influential "Washington Merry-Go-Round" newspaper column, which exposed numerous political scandals and earned him both praise and criticism.
5. Richmond Pearson Hobson (1870-1937), an American naval officer who gained fame for his attempt to sink the USS Merrimac in Santiago Harbor during the Spanish-American War, temporarily blocking the harbor entrance.
These individuals, spanning different centuries and fields, exemplify the varied contributions and accomplishments of those who have borne the name Pearson throughout history.
People
Pearson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pearson as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Pearson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pearson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,445 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pearson going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 237,200 US residents.
Is Pearson a common name?
We classify Pearson as "Rare". It ranks above 92.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,647 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pearson most popular?
The single biggest year for Pearson was 2019, when 69 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pearson is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pearson a male name?
Yes, 92.3% of people registered as Pearson in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.