Find out how popular the last name Pearsall is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Pearsall.

Pearsall, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Pearsall surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pearsall in America

Pearsall is the 6877th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pearsall surname appeared 4,888 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Pearsall.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pearsall to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Pearsall

The surname Pearsall has its origins in England, with records suggesting it emerged in the late 13th century or early 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "pere" meaning pear and "sæl" meaning hall, referring to a hall or manor where pear trees grew or where pears were stored.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a William de Pereshal in Oxfordshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 also mention a John Perishale in Somerset. These early spellings, such as Pereshal and Perishale, demonstrate the evolution of the name over time.

The name Pearsall has been associated with various locations in England, including Pearsall Green in Staffordshire and Pearsall Field in Worcestershire. These place names may have influenced the surname or vice versa, as people often adopted surnames based on the places they lived or held land.

Notable individuals with the surname Pearsall include:

1. Thomas Pearsall (1782-1847), an English horticulturist and botanist known for his work on rare and exotic plants.
2. Ralph Pearsall (1892-1959), an English composer and conductor, known for his choral works and orchestral pieces.
3. Duane Pearsall (1892-1977), an American historian and author, known for his books on early American history and the American Revolution.
4. Richard Pearsall (fl. 1420), an English priest and composer of sacred music during the Renaissance period.
5. William Pearsall (1834-1908), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly.

While the surname Pearsall has its roots in England, it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and colonization. However, this historical overview focuses solely on the surname's English origins and does not delve into its presence in modern times or census data.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pearsall

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Pearsall.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Pearsall was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Pearsall has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Pearsall was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Pearsall, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!