Pierce surname meaning

Pierce is a patronymic-style surname from Piers or Pierce, medieval forms of Peter. Peter comes from Greek petros, “stone” or “rock,” but Pierce means “Peter’s” in the family-name setting, not that an ancestor was literally a stoneworker. Pearce, Peirce, and Piers preserve the sound and spelling variations that circulated in English and Welsh records. Irish families can also carry related forms through Gaelic naming traditions. The personal-name route is well established, so parent’s name and high confidence fit the core surname explanation.