2000
#1,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,276
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.22
Uncommon Last name
Pearce
An English occupational surname for a person who worked as a stone mason or seller of stone.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 34,380 Americans carry the last name Pearce. That puts it at #1,150 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,970 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pearce 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 Pearce with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
34K
1 in 9,970
Census rank
#1,150
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
30K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 29,981 bearers of the surname Pearce in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1150th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pearce, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pearce
The surname Pearce is of English origin, deriving from an old English personal name "Piers" or "Pers," which was a medieval vernacular form of the name Peter. This name was introduced to England by the Normans after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The name Piers or Pers was commonly used as a nickname for someone named Peter.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Pearce can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Piers" and "Pers." These early spellings eventually evolved into the modern form of "Pearce" by the 13th century. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Devon, Somerset, and Gloucestershire in the southwest of England.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Pearce was Walter Pearce, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1214. Another early bearer of the name was William Pearce, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Pearce was also associated with various place names in England, such as Pearce's Green in Oxfordshire and Pearce's Lane in Surrey. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname Pearce who lived or owned land in those areas.
Notable individuals with the surname Pearce throughout history include:
1. Zachary Pearce (1690-1774), an English bishop and theologian who served as the Bishop of Bangor and Rochester.
2. Sir Robert Pearce (1856-1935), a British civil engineer and contractor who played a significant role in the construction of the London Underground.
3. Edward Pearce (1633-1695), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Devizes.
4. Mary Pearce (1777-1859), an English novelist and poet who wrote under the pen name "Louisa of Lorne."
5. Samuel Pearce (1766-1799), an English Baptist missionary who was one of the founders of the Baptist Missionary Society.
The surname Pearce has been carried by many individuals throughout history, originating from the old English personal name Piers or Pers, which was a vernacular form of the name Peter. Its earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the Domesday Book, and it has been associated with various place names in England, reflecting the influence and presence of individuals bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pearce
Among Census respondents with the surname Pearce, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pearce 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 Pearce surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.2% · 25,538
- Black or African American6.1% · 1,839
- Two or more races3.8% · 1,149
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,027
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 231
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 197
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pearce
Pearce 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
#1,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,060
+784 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 10.53
Rank movement Down 75 places
2020
#1,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,981
-1,079 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 10.03
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,054 | 30,276 | 11.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,129 | 31,060 | 10.53 | +784 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 75 places |
| 2020 | #1,150 | 29,981 | 10.03 | -1,079 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 21 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 Pearce 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 | #1,129 | #1,150 | -1.9% |
| Count | 31,060 | 29,981 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 10.53 | 10.03 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pearce bearers went from 31,060 to 29,981 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,129 to #1,150.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pearce
FAQ
Pearce surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pearce?
Name Census estimates that about 34,380 living Americans carry the surname Pearce. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,970 residents.
How common is Pearce?
Pearce ranks #1,150 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 29,981 people with the surname Pearce. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (34,380), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Pearce.
Has Pearce become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pearce went from 31,060 recorded bearers to 29,981. That is a decrease of 1,079 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,129 to #1,150.
What does the Census say about the background of Pearce?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pearce, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Pearce in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.2% (25,538 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pearce appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.2%), Black (6.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Pearce (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 Pearce mean?
An English occupational surname for a person who worked as a stone mason or seller of 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 Pearce (10.03 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 share the surname Pearce?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.