2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Piearcy
An English surname derived from the Old French place name "Piercy", referring to someone from that locality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Piearcy. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Piearcy 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.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Piearcy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Piearcy, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Piearcy
The surname Piearcy is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "pear" or "pere," referring to the pear fruit, combined with a locational suffix. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who resided near a pear tree or orchard.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Piearcy surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, dated 1273, where it appears as "Piri." This spelling variation provides insight into the name's evolution over time.
During the medieval period, the Piearcy name was predominantly concentrated in the counties of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England. It is possible that the name originated from a place name containing the word "pear," such as Pearsall or Pearsley.
In the 16th century, John Piearcy (c. 1520-1590) was a notable figure, serving as a member of the Parliament of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. His political involvement suggests that the Piearcy family had achieved a certain level of prominence and influence by that time.
Another notable bearer of the Piearcy surname was Sir Richard Piearcy (1625-1702), a renowned English lawyer and judge. He served as a Baron of the Exchequer and played a significant role in the legal system during the latter part of the 17th century.
The Piearcy name also found its way into the literary world with the poet and writer William Piearcy (1790-1855). Born in Yorkshire, Piearcy published several works, including a collection of poems titled "The Pleasures of Life" in 1820.
In the field of military service, Captain John Piearcy (1810-1876) made notable contributions. He served in the British Army during the Crimean War and was awarded the prestigious Victoria Cross for his bravery in the Battle of Inkerman in 1854.
The Piearcy surname has also been associated with various locations and place names throughout England. For instance, the village of Pearcey in Gloucestershire and the hamlet of Pearcy in Wiltshire may have derived their names from the same linguistic roots as the surname.
While the origins of the Piearcy surname can be traced back to the 13th century, its presence and significance have endured throughout the centuries, with notable bearers contributing to various fields, including politics, law, literature, and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Piearcy
Among Census respondents with the surname Piearcy, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Piearcy 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 Piearcy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.0% · 84
- Two or more races13.4% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Piearcy
Piearcy 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+6 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,429 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-15 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,906 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 3,429 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 14,906 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 Piearcy 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 | #133,048 | #147,954 | -11.2% |
| Count | 127 | 112 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Piearcy bearers went from 127 to 112 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 14,906 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #147,954.
FAQ
Piearcy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Piearcy?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Piearcy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Piearcy?
Piearcy ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Piearcy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Piearcy.
Has Piearcy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Piearcy went from 127 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Piearcy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Piearcy, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Piearcy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.0% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Piearcy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.0%), Two or More Races (13.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Piearcy (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 Piearcy mean?
An English surname derived from the Old French place name "Piercy", referring to someone from that locality. 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 Piearcy (0.04 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 are called Piearcy?
You can see how common the surname Piearcy is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.