Boy name · Greek
Pierce
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: rockPierce is a boy's name that comes from Greek and means "rock". It is used in English and Irish.
- Meaning
- Rock
- Origin
- Greek
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #505 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Pierce
As a boy's name, Pierce comes from Greek and means "rock". It is used in English and Irish.
Pierce is also a surname: the 213th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 132,277 people. See the most common last names.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Pierce on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Pierce on 4 lists.
“From Piers, a form of Peter, meaning stone”
From Redneck names for boys, southern gentleman names for boys
“Stone; English, from Piers, a form of Peter. Sharp and polished”
From Boy middle names, one-syllable boy middle names
“From Piers, the medieval English form of Peter”
From Cool last names, cool last names
“Rock; Greek, via Norman Piers, a form of Peter”
From Strong boy names, strong boy names from Greek and Latin
How popular is Pierce?
- US rank in 2025
- #505
- 598 babies, 350 per million boys
- Best rank
- #394 in 1886
- Most babies: 648 in 2015
- Babies since 1880
- At least 20,245
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 121 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 111 per million |
| 1900s | 98 per million |
| 1910s | 62 per million |
| 1920s | 51 per million |
| 1930s | 39 per million |
| 1940s | 25 per million |
| 1950s | 15 per million |
| 1960s | 12 per million |
| 1970s | 11 per million |
| 1980s | 42 per million |
| 1990s | 123 per million |
| 2000s | 245 per million |
| 2010s | 315 per million |
| 2020s | 325 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #474 | #523 | #490 | #490 | #504 | #503 | #571 | #547 | #540 | #505 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Pierce
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- PereRock, stone (Greek, boy)
- PierreRock, stone (Greek, boy)
- PiersRock, stone (Greek, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- PetraRock, stone (Greek, girl)
- AlanMeaning uncertain; perhaps little rock, or from the Alans (Brythonic, boy)
- PeterRock, stone (Greek, boy)
- CraigRock, crag (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- PeadarRock, stone (Greek, boy)
- PedroRock, stone (Greek, boy)
- AlanaFeminine form of Alan, possibly little rock (Breton, girl)
- AlannaFeminine form of Alan; uncertain, perhaps little rock (Brythonic, girl)
- BoutrosRock, stone (Greek, boy)
- GiampieroGod is gracious and rock (Hebrew and Greek, boy)
Middle names for Pierce
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Greek
- AlexanderDefender of men (Greek, boy)
- LucasMan from Lucania (Greek, boy)
- ChristianFollower of Christ (Greek, boy)
- LeonA lion (Greek, boy)
- HectorHolding fast (Greek, boy)
- TheoGift of God (Greek, boy)
- AlexisHelper, defender (Greek, boy)
- LucaMan from Lucania (Greek, boy)
- SebastianMan of sebaste, venerable (Greek, boy)
- AlexDefender, protector (Greek, unisex)
Pierce: common questions
What does the name Pierce mean?
Pierce comes from Greek and means "rock".
Is Pierce a boy or girl name?
Pierce is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 20 girls and 598 boys in the US were named Pierce, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Pierce come from?
Pierce comes from Greek and means "rock". Today it is used in English and Irish.
How popular is the name Pierce?
Pierce ranked #505 in the US in 2025, with 598 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Pierce?
Forms of Pierce with the same meaning and origin include Pere (Spanish), Pierre (French) and Piers (English).
What middle names go with Pierce?
Middle names that flow well with Pierce include David, Elton, Grant, Lamar and Micah. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.

