Pierston
An English masculine name of uncertain meaning, possibly related to pier or stone.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Pierston. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Pierston today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pierston births was 2024 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pierston. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Pierston. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2024
6 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,938
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Pierston: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pierston from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pierston 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 Pierston during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Pierston
The name Pierston has its origins in the Old English language, dating back to the early medieval period in England. It is derived from the combination of two Old English words: "pier," which means "rock or rocky hill," and "tun," which means "town or settlement." Thus, Pierston likely referred to a town or settlement located on or near a rocky hill or outcrop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Pierston who held lands in the county of Somerset.
In the 12th century, a monk named Pierston is mentioned in the chronicles of the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, a prominent Benedictine monastery in Suffolk, England. He is noted for his skill in calligraphy and manuscript illumination, contributing to the abbey's renowned library.
During the 13th century, a knight named Sir Pierston de Montfort fought alongside Simon de Montfort, a prominent leader of the baronial rebellion against King Henry III. Sir Pierston is recorded as having been present at the Battle of Lewes in 1264, where the rebels scored a decisive victory over the royalist forces.
In the 15th century, a wealthy merchant named Pierston Gresham was a prominent figure in the city of London. He was a member of the influential Gresham family, known for their involvement in international trade and banking. Pierston Gresham's wealth and influence allowed him to serve as a Lord Mayor of London in the late 1400s.
Another notable figure was Pierston Bury, an English politician and Member of Parliament who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He represented the borough of Bury St. Edmunds in the House of Commons and was known for his advocacy of religious reform during the tumultuous period of the English Reformation.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the name Pierston, highlighting its long-standing presence in English history and its association with various walks of life, from religious scholars and knights to merchants and politicians.
People
Pierston + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pierston 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
Pierston: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pierston?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pierston 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Pierston a common name?
We classify Pierston as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pierston most popular?
The single biggest year for Pierston was 2024, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pierston is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Pierston in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Pierston a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pierston 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.
Is Pierston still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Pierston in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Pierston can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Pierston?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.