Pierce is an English surname that comes from the medieval given name Piers, the Norman French form of Peter, and so means "rock" or "stone". Franklin Pierce was the 14th president of the United States, and the actor Pierce Brosnan gave the name a touch of James Bond polish in the 1990s. Pierce has been in the US top 1000 since 2000, peaked at number 462 in 2013 and ranks number 505 in 2025.