Pierce as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Pierce

What is the meaning of the name Pierce ?

The baby name Pierce is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /pɪərs/ (BrE), /pɪrs/ (AmE) — respelling: PEERS.

Pierce is English in Origin.

Pierce is an English surname-turned-given name derived from Piers, the Middle English form of Peter. The line of descent runs from Greek Petros (“rock, stone”) to Latin Petrus to Old French Piers/Pierre, with Pierce developing as a patronymic (“son of Piers”). In Ireland it also serves as an Anglicization of Gaelic Piaras. The core meaning is “rock” or “stone,” carrying associations of firmness, reliability, and steadfast character.

Documented in medieval Britain, the forename Piers is immortalized in the 14th-century allegory Piers Plowman, while Pierce became a common surname across England, Wales, and Ireland. As a given name, Pierce saw periodic use from the 18th century onward, often to honor a family surname, and rose in modern visibility through figures like actor Pierce Brosnan. Close variants and cognates include Pearce, Pearse, Piers, Peter, Pierre, Pietro, Pedro, and Piotr.