Surname Peirson - Meaning and Origin
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Peirson: What does the surname Peirson mean?
Peirson is a surname of English origin, derived from the patronymic form of the given name Piers, the Medieval English form of Peter, which means "rock." Therefore, Peirson ultimately signifies "son of Piers" or "son of Peter," indicating lineage or descent from an ancestor named Piers or Peter. Surnames such as this one became widespread in Medieval Europe as a way to distinguish between individuals with the same first names. This surname has numerous variant spellings including Pearson, Pierson, and Piercy. The multiple variants of this surname can be attributed to differences in regional dialects and spelling conventions over the past several centuries.
Order DNA origin analysisPeirson: Where does the name Peirson come from?
The last name Peirson is most commonly found in the United Kingdom today. In the 1891 census of England and Wales, the last name was found in various counties across the UK, such as; Lancashire, Hampshire, Cornwall, Essex, and Kent. In the 1921 England and Wales census, it was found mainly in Lancashire, Hampshire, Cornwall, and Essex.
In recent years, the last name Peirson can mainly be found in the southwest region of England. The name is especially popular in Cornwall county and it was the eleventh most common surname there in the 2011 Cornwall census. In the rest of the regions and counties of the UK, the name is considerably less common and is more likely to be found among immigrants.
In the United States, the last name Peirson is quite rare. According to the 2016 United States Census, only 490 people carried the last name. Most of those people are found in California and New York. The last name can also be found in an increasing number of countries with British heritage, mainly in the Caribbean, Australia, and Canada.
Overall, the name Peirson is most commonly found in regions of England as well as countries with British heritage. It is much less common in the United States, but the number of people carrying the last name is growing.
Variations of the surname Peirson
The surname Peirson has many variants, spellings, and related surnames. The most common variants are Person, Piersen, Pierson, Pearsen, Persson, Pierceon, and Piersson. Other variants include Parsons, Pirson, Pearsan, Piercen, Pirsons, Pearceon, and Pierssons. All of these variants can be derived from the same origin.
The ancient name "Peirson" is a Scottish and English patronymic surname derived from the given name Peter, which in turn is derived from the Greek "petros" meaning "stone" or "rock". As a patronymic surname, Peirson typically denoted a "son of Peter".
In Scotland, the spellings Person, Persson, and Pirsons were most common. Meanwhile, in England, the most common spellings were Piersen, Pierson, Pearsen, and Pierceon. Variations of the surname also developed in other countries, such as Denmark and Germany, and this gave rise to the Danish spellings Peersen and Persen, and the German form Persohn.
Alternative spellings with a “c” instead of “s” such as Pierscen, Pearceon, and Piercen, were most common in the West Midlands of England. Similarly, the American variant Pearsan is associated with the western states.
Some variations of the Peirson surname became hereditary surnames in their own right. For example, the Scottish surname Pirson can be traced back to a family in north-east Scotland who adopted the surname in the 1650s. Similarly, the Anglo-Saxon surname Pierson is associated with a family in Devon who adopted the surname in the 17th century.
Famous people with the name Peirson
- Brian Peirson: American actor who has appeared in popular TV series such as 30 Rock and How I Met Your Mother.
- Gary Peirson: Canadian politician and former member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
- Alan Peirson: British actor and director who has appeared in the popular soap opera Coronation Street.
- William Peirson: English footballer who played for Arsenal and Southampton during the 1950s and 1960s.
- Thomas Peirson: American inventor and aerospace engineer who designed the Soyuz spacecraft.
- Jonathan Peirson: Australian painter who is best known for his expressionist portraits.
- Chris Peirson: American comedian and actor who has appeared in various films and TV series.
- George Peirson: English cricketer who played for Hampshire between 1895 and 1898.
- William E. Peirson: Canadian businessman who co-founded Domtar, one of the largest paper and pulp companies in North America.
- Frederic Peirson: British astronomer and physicist who was an early pioneer of rocket science and astronautics.