Pierce Family History

Pierce Surname Meaning

English Welsh and Irish: from the Anglo-Norman French and Middle English personal name Piers Peres Peris an Old French nominative of Pierre or Per the French form of Peter.

Pierce is especially frequent in northwestern Wales and Lancashire while Pearce is the more common spelling in the rest of England.

In Ireland Pierce and Pearse represent a shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Piarais ‘son of Piaras’ a Gaelicized form of Piers.

Americanized form of some similar-sounding Jewish surname.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Kierce, Pierre, Piers, Preece, Percy, Bierce, Zierke, Pere, Pee, Pirc

1M	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
150K	Military Records
58K	Immigration Records
693K	Census and Voter Lists
2M	Member Trees

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Pierce family from?

You can see how Pierce families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Pierce family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Pierce families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 524 Pierce families living in Lancashire. This was about 13% of all the recorded Pierce's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Pierce families in 1891.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Pierce surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Pierce

What did your Pierce ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General labourer and Unpaid domestic duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Pierce. 12% of Pierce men worked as a General labourer and 70% of Pierce women worked as an Unpaid domestic duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Pierce were Cowman and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Pierce

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

General labourer

12%

Farmer

Builders labourer

Cowman

Unpaid domestic duties

70%

Unpaid domestic

Housewife

Incapacitated

What Pierce family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 693K census records available for the last name Pierce. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Pierce census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Pierce

Passenger List

There are 58K immigration records available for the last name Pierce. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Pierce immigration records

Military Records

There are 150K military records available for the last name Pierce. For the veterans among your Pierce ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Pierce military records

You've only scratched the surface of Pierce family history

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What is the average Pierce lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Pierce life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1940, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Pierce in 1940 was 28, and 73 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Pierce family tree

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Pierce Surname Meaning

English Welsh and Irish: from the Anglo-Norman French and Middle English personal name Piers Peres Peris an Old French nominative of Pierre or Per the French form of Peter.

Pierce is especially frequent in northwestern Wales and Lancashire while Pearce is the more common spelling in the rest of England.

In Ireland Pierce and Pearse represent a shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Piarais ‘son of Piaras’ a Gaelicized form of Piers.

Americanized form of some similar-sounding Jewish surname.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Where is the Pierce family from?

What did your Pierce ancestors do for a living?

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

General labourer

12%

Farmer

Builders labourer

Cowman

Unpaid domestic duties

70%

Unpaid domestic

Housewife

Incapacitated

What Pierce family records will you find?

What is the average Pierce lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Pierce life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1940, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Pierce in 1940 was 28, and 73 in 2004.

Pierce Family History

Pierce Surname Meaning

4 million record(s) for Pierce

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Pierce family from?

What did your Pierce ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Pierce family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Pierce family history

What is the average Pierce lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Pierce family tree

Search for another surname

Pierce Surname Meaning

4 million record(s) for Pierce

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Pierce family from?

What did your Pierce ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Pierce family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Pierce family history

What is the average Pierce lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Pierce family tree

Search for another surname