Pier
Derived from the Italian word for a shoreline pillar or platform.
Name Census estimates that about 403 living Americans carry the first name Pier. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 75.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Pier today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pier births was 1957 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pier. 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
403
~ 1 in 850,507 Americans
Peak year
1957
35 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,977
Tracked since 1953
Gender
Gender distribution for Pier
Pier is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 483 total registrations, 119 (24.6%) were male and 364 (75.4%) were female.
Pier as a male name
- Ranked #13,691 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1983 (8 births)
Pier as a female name
- Ranked #12,977 in 1994
- 6 female births in 1994
- Peak: 1957 (35 births)
Popularity
Pier: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pier from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 159 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pier 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 Pier during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Piers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Pier
The name Pier has its origins in the Latin language, derived from the word "petrus," which means "rock" or "stone." It is believed to have originated during the Roman Empire, a vast civilization that spanned from the 8th century BC to the 5th century AD.
One of the earliest and most notable historical references to the name Pier is found in the Bible, where it is the name given to Saint Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. In the Gospels, Jesus refers to Peter as the "rock" upon which he will build his church, establishing a connection between the name and its Latin roots.
The name Pier became popular throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly in Italy, where it was often spelled as "Pietro." During the Renaissance period, several notable individuals bore this name, including the Italian painter Piero della Francesca (c. 1415-1492), known for his groundbreaking work in the use of perspective and geometric forms in art.
Another prominent figure named Pier was the French philosopher and mathematician Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665), whose work laid the foundations for modern calculus and probability theory. His contributions to mathematics were so significant that the "Last Theorem" is named after him.
In the realm of literature, Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975) was an Italian filmmaker, poet, and writer, renowned for his controversial and avant-garde works that explored themes of sexuality, politics, and social commentary.
More recently, the name Pier has been associated with the Italian architect and designer Pier Luigi Nervi (1891-1979), who was celebrated for his innovative use of reinforced concrete in the construction of buildings and bridges, including the famous Turin Exhibition Hall and the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
One of the most famous individuals named Pier in recent history was the French fashion designer Pierre Cardin (1922-2020), who revolutionized the fashion industry with his futuristic designs and pioneering approach to licensing his brand.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Pier
People
Pier + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pier 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
Pier: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pier?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 403 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pier 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 850,507 US residents.
Is Pier a common name?
We classify Pier as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 483 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pier most popular?
The single biggest year for Pier was 1957, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pier is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pier a female name?
Yes, 75.4% of people registered as Pier in the SSA data are female. 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.