PEARCE
Pearce is a surname of English origin that derives ultimately from the medieval given name Piers, a Norman variant of the personal name Peter. The name Peter itself is derived from the Greek word petros, meaning “rock” or “stone”, and was given to the apostle Simon by Jesus as a symbol of steadfast faith and the foundation upon which the Church was to be established.
The surname Pearce therefore denotes patronymic origin, signifying “son of Piers” or “son of Peter.” Its earliest attestation appears in the pipe rolls of London for the year 1198, in the entry for an individual named Gilbert Perse; this is regarded as the first recorded spelling of the family name in any part of the world. Other early instances include Robert Peres of Somerset in 1273 and Adam Pierce of Sussex in 1327.
Over the centuries the name has been recorded in a variety of spellings, such as Pearce, Pears, Pearse, Piers, Peers and Peres. This diversity reflects the fluid orthography of medieval English and the influence of French Norman scribes in post‑1066 England. The surname is found in numerous European countries, a distribution that is partly attributable to the 12th‑century Crusader movement, which introduced many variants of the name across Christendom.
In the early modern period the name continued to be borne by numerous individuals of note. For instance, Captain William Pearce (or Peerce) held 1,700 acres of tree plantations in the settlement of James Cittie, the original centre of the new colony of Virginia, in 1626. Another early emigrant, Danyell Pierce, departed from Ipswich on the ship Elizabeth bound for New England in 1634, thereby extending the surname across the Atlantic.
The prevalence of Pearce in Christian societies is closely linked to the veneration of Saint Peter, whose name was hugely popular throughout medieval Christendom. While the name Piers is thought to have been introduced to Britain by Norman invaders during the Conquest of 1066, contemporary research suggests that its widespread adoption as a personal name, and subsequent transition into a hereditary surname, did not occur until at least a century later.
In modern times, the surname Pearce remains a common family name in England, reflecting a heritage that traces back to the early medieval period, to biblical roots, and to the enduring legacy of the apostolic figure who was christened “the rock” upon which the Christian faith was to stand.
Typical given names associated with the Pearce surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Pierce
- Pearse
- Pierson
- Pearson
- Persson
- Peirson
- Parce
- Parse
- Parcel
- Parez
- Pares
- Pairce
- Paress
- Parci
- Pairs
- Paraiso
- Paras
- Parasa
- Parazo
- Parc
- Parcels
- Pareas
- Paresh
- Parias
- Parice
- Paries
- Paris
- Parisa
- Parise
- Pariseau
- Parisi
- Parisio
- Pariso
- Pariss
- Parisse
- Parissi
- Parize
- Paros
- Paroz
- Parras
- Parres
- Parries
- Parris
- Parriss
- Parrows
- Parrs
- Parrys
- Pars
- Parsa
- Parsaei
- Parsche
- Parsey
- Parsi
- Parus
- Parys
- Pauce
- Peairce
- Peairs
- Pear
- Pearces
- Pearcey
- Pearch
- Pearco
- Pearcy
- Peare
- Peares
- Pearis
- Pearre
- Pears
- Pearsey
- Pearso
- Pearsy
- Peerce
- Peeris
- Peers
- Peiarce
- Peirce
- Peires
- Peiris
- Peirs
- Peirse
- Peorce
- Peras
- Perasso
- Peraza
- Perazzo
- Perce
- Perceau
- Percey
- Perci
- Percie
- Peres
- Peress
- Perez
- Perice
- Peries
- Peris
- Perisa
- Perisi
- Periss
- Perisse
- Peros
- Perosa
- Perossi
- Peroz
- Perozzi
- Perras
- Perres
- Perress
- Perrez
- Perrice
- Perries
- Perris
- Perriss
- Perros
- Perrozzi
- Perrs
- Perruzza
- Perrys
- Pers
- Persa
- Perse
- Persee
- Persey
- Persi
- Persia
- Perske
- Persse
- Persue
- Perus
- Peruzi
- Peruzzi
- Peruzzo
- Perz
- Perzia
- Peurse
- Piarce
- Piearce
- Piears
- Pierazzo
- Pierces
- Pieres
- Pieris
- Pierres
- Piers
- Piersa
- Pierse
- Pierz
- Pirace
- Piras
- Pirce
- Pires
- Pirez
- Piris
- Pirisi
- Piriz
- Piros
- Piroso
- Pirouz
- Pirouzi
- Pirozzi
- Pirse
- Pirus
- Poores
- Poors
- Poras
- Poraz
- Poris
- Poros
- Porosa
- Porras
- Porres
- Porris
- Pors
- Porsi
- Porzio
- Pouris
- Pouros
- Pours
- Poyraz
- Prace
- Prais
- Praise
- Prasai
- Prass
- Prasse
- Praus
- Prause
- Prawse
- Prays
- Praz
- Preace
- Preas
- Prease
- Prece
- Preece
- Preeece
- Prees
- Preese
- Preez
- Preeze
- Preice
- Preis
- Preiss
- Pres
- Presa
- Press
- Presse
- Presseau
- Presz
- Preus
- Preuss
- Preusse
- Prez
- Preza
- Prezeau
- Price
- Priece
- Priehs
- Pries
- Priese
- Priess
- Prise
- Priss
- Prize
- Prizio
- Prizzi
- Proce
- Proios
- Proos
- Prose
- Pross
- Prosse
- Prouce
- Prous
- Prouse
- Prows
- Prowse
- Pruce
- Pruess
- Pruhs
- Pruice
- Pruis
- Prus
- Prusa
- Pruse
- Pruss
- Pryce
- Prys
- Pryse
- Puras
- Purce
- Pures
- Purez
- Purice
- Puries
- Puris
- Purois
- Purres
- Purris
- Purs
- Purse
- Purss
- Puruis
- Purus
- Pyrce
- Pyros
- Pyrs
- Perarce
- Perseu
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Pearce in...
Braille
⠏⠑⠁⠗⠉⠑
Morse
.--...-.-.-.-..
Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Pearce are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Bourbon.
There are approximately 51,215 people named Pearce in the UK. That makes it the 134th most common surname in Britain. Around 786 in a million people in Britain are named Pearce.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Pearce
- Guy Pearce - -born Australian actor
- Stuart Pearce - Football player and manager
- Lennard Pearce - Actor (1915 to 1984)
- Jacqueline Pearce - Actress (1943 to 2018)
- Teresa Pearce - Politician
- Ian Pearce - Football player
- Daniel Pearce - Singer
- Jonathan Pearce - Football commentator
- Drew Pearce - Writer and director
- Philippa Pearce - Children's writer (1920 to 2006)
- Krystian Pearce - Football player
- Sophie Amber Pearce - Noble
- Tom Pearce - Football player
- Jason Pearce - Football player
- Daniel Pearce - Record producer
- Alex Pearce - Irish football player
- Stevo Pearce - Musician
- Christopher Pearce - Cricketer
- Luke Pearce -
- Fred Pearce - Journalist
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.