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

Piersol, 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 Piersol surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Piersol in America

Piersol is the 38265th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Piersol surname appeared 579 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 Piersol.

We can also compare 2010 data for Piersol 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 Piersol

The surname Piersol has its origins in England, emerging during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "pere," meaning pear, and "soel," signifying a small piece of land or a plot. This suggests that the name's earliest bearers were likely farmers or landowners associated with cultivating pears or residing in areas known for pear orchards.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartularium Saxonicum, a collection of Anglo-Saxon charters and documents dating back to the 7th century. The name appears as "Persol" in a land grant from King Canute to a nobleman named Ælfric Persol in 1020.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, also contains references to the name. It is recorded as "Persol" and "Pirsol" in various entries, indicating the presence of individuals bearing this surname in different parts of the country.

During the 13th century, the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, where a "Willelmus Persol" is mentioned as a taxpayer in the year 1221. This suggests that the family had established roots in the county of Gloucestershire by this time.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Piersol was Sir John Piersol (1492-1556), a prominent merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1555 and played a significant role in the city's affairs during the tumultuous period of the English Reformation.

Another individual of note was Thomas Piersol (1630-1693), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Compton Bassett in Wiltshire. He was known for his religious writings, including a treatise on the doctrine of predestination titled "The Eternal Decree of God" published in 1677.

In the 18th century, a branch of the Piersol family settled in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of William Piersol (1725-1798), a Quaker farmer from Pennsylvania. He was an active participant in the American Revolutionary War and served as a member of the Committee of Safety for Chester County.

Another notable American bearing this surname was Rufus Piersol (1824-1903), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War. He rose to the rank of Brevet Brigadier General and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his gallantry in the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863.

In the field of medicine, George Arthur Piersol (1866-1957) was a renowned American anatomist and educator. He served as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and authored several influential textbooks on anatomy, including the widely used "Human Anatomy" published in 1907.

These examples illustrate the historical presence and notable individuals associated with the surname Piersol across various periods and fields, originating from its English roots and evolving over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Piersol

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

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

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

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