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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

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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 1840 there were 618 Pierce families living in New York. This was about 23% of all the recorded Pierce's in USA. New York had the highest population of Pierce families in 1840.

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?

View Census Data for Pierce | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations In 1940

Laborer
16%
Farmer
15%
Salesman
5%
Truck Driver
4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

Housewife
7%
Housekeeper
7%
Teacher
6%
Maid
6%

Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Pierce family records will you find?

Census Records
There are 693,000 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 US census records for Pierce
Passenger Lists
There are 58,000 immigration records available for the last name Pierce. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.
View all Pierce immigration records
Draft Cards
There are 150,000 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

Census Records

There are 693,000 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 US census records for Pierce

Passenger Lists

There are 58,000 immigration records available for the last name Pierce. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Pierce immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 150,000 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.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Pierce

Browse profiles of historical people with the Pierce last name