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

Pierpont, 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 Pierpont surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pierpont in America

Pierpont is the 25403rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pierpont surname appeared 974 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Pierpont.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pierpont 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 Pierpont

The surname Pierpont has its origins in Normandy, France, and dates back to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French words "pierre" meaning stone and "pont" meaning bridge, suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a stone bridge.

In the famous Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with the surname Pierpont or similar variations such as Perepunt or Perepoint. This indicates that the name had already been established in Normandy before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

The earliest recorded example of the name Pierpont is found in the Rolls of the Norman Exchequer, a collection of financial records from the reign of Henry I (1100-1135), where a certain Radulphus Pierpont is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already been adopted by Norman families at that time.

In the 12th century, the Pierpont family held lands in the village of Pierpont, near the town of Pont-Audemer in Normandy. This village likely took its name from the same root words as the surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and the geographic feature of a stone bridge.

One notable historical figure with the surname Pierpont was Sir Henry Pierpont (c. 1366-1415), who served as a knight and member of Parliament during the reign of Henry IV. Another was Robert Pierpont (1584-1648), an English clergyman and theologian who played a role in the English Civil War.

In the United States, the Pierpont family gained prominence in the 18th and 19th centuries. John Pierpont (1785-1866) was a prominent poet, clergyman, and abolitionist, while Francis Harrison Pierpont (1814-1899) served as the governor of the Union-controlled parts of Virginia during the American Civil War.

James Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913), the renowned American financier and banker, was a member of the Pierpont family through his maternal grandmother. His illustrious career and legacy as the founder of J.P. Morgan & Co. further contributed to the recognition of the Pierpont name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pierpont

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

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 Pierpont 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 Pierpont 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 Pierpont was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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