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

Piers, 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 Piers surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Piers in America

Piers is the 61436th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Piers surname appeared 327 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 Piers.

We can also compare 2010 data for Piers 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 Piers

The surname Piers originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French personal name Pierre, which itself came from the Latin name Petrus, meaning "rock" or "stone." This was likely a nickname or descriptive name given to someone with a stony or unyielding personality.

The first recorded instances of the surname Piers can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and their estates commissioned by William the Conqueror. Entries such as "Petrus" and "Piers" are listed, indicating the early use of the name in various parts of England.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Sir Henry Piers, a prominent English knight who lived in the 13th century. He fought in the crusades and was granted lands in Ireland as a reward for his service. The Piers family subsequently established themselves as influential landowners in counties like Westmeath and Tipperary.

Another notable figure with the surname Piers was Sir John Piers, who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland in the late 15th century. He was renowned for his efforts in maintaining law and order during a turbulent period in Irish history.

In the 16th century, the Piers surname gained further recognition with Sir William Piers, a member of the English Parliament who played a role in the English Reformation under King Henry VIII. His son, also named William Piers, was a successful merchant and philanthropist in London.

The surname Piers has also been associated with various place names throughout England and Ireland. For instance, the village of Piers Hill in Shropshire and the townland of Piercetown in County Meath are believed to have derived their names from individuals bearing the Piers surname.

Other notable figures with the Piers surname include Sir Robert Piers (1634-1714), an English lawyer and politician, and Sir Henry Piers (1628-1691), an English writer and traveler who authored several works on the Middle East and North Africa.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Piers

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

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

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

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