Pierson is an English surname meaning "son of Piers", the medieval English form of Peter, which goes back to the Greek petros, "rock". It joins the long line of surname names ending in -son, from Grayson to Jameson, that American parents have embraced in recent decades. Pierson has never entered the US top 1000; it peaked at number 1137 in 2020 and ranks 1456 in 2025.