Pierce is a presidential name — Franklin Pierce, 14th President of the United States — but that's not why parents choose it. They choose it because Pierce sounds sharp and confident, because it has the same Irish-family-name energy as Brady or Burke, and because it peaked in 2015 at rank #540 and has maintained a steady presence since.
Peter in Disguise
Pierce derives from the medieval English given name Piers, itself a Norman French form of Peter — from the Greek Petros (rock). So Pierce is etymologically the same name as Peter, Pedro, Pierre, and Pietro: the Greek "rock" meaning is solid, foundational. The sound of Pierce is entirely different from Peter, though: sharper, more modern, with the surname energy that the 1990s-2000s naming trend still hasn't fully exhausted. SSA data: 19,646 total bearers, 2015 peak, current rank #540.
Surname Energy Done Right
Pierce belongs to the family of surnames used as first names that feel properly grounded: Ford, Grant, Hayes, Lincoln. The presidential-surname register is one of the more durable American naming traditions. Pierce Brosnan, the Irish-British actor famous as James Bond, gave the name significant visibility in the 1990s; that association probably contributed to its 2015 peak as the parents who admired him in their 20s reached naming age.
One Letter, Two Feels
Pierce vs. Pearce is a common spelling question. Pearce reads more Irish and more surname-like; Pierce reads more given-name standard in American usage. Neither is incorrect, but Pierce dominates U.S. birth records by a wide margin. For parents looking at Greek-origin names via unexpected pathways, Pierce is genuinely interesting: it's Peter, with 2,000 years of rock-solid meaning, dressed in a modern American suit that needs no explaining.