Meaning & Origin
A patronymic surname transferred from the given name.
Pierson is a boy's and girl's baby name of Old English origin, a surname meaning 'son of Piers,' where Piers is the medieval English form of Peter, from the Greek meaning 'rock' or 'stone.' Like Peterson and Pearson, it carries the solidity of Peter in a surname-name format.
Pierson has the upstanding, New England prep school quality of names like Harrison, Emerson, and Anderson. It's a name that sounds like a family with a library and a boat. Solid, serious, and with a nickname (Pierce) that carries its own distinction.