Declining since 2017, #7,679 for boys today.
Popularity of Pearse since 1988
Babies named Pearse per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1980s | 6 |
| 1990s | 47 |
| 2000s | 67 |
| 2010s | 68 |
| 2020s | 26 |
Meaning & origin
Pearse has been a consistently rare given name in the United States since first recorded in 1988. Its peak popularity occurred in 1999, though even then it remained an uncommon choice. The name has been on a declining trajectory since 2017, reflecting broader trends away from traditional Irish patronymics. Despite its low rank of 7,679 in 2025, Pearse carries significant cultural weight due to its association with Patrick Pearse, the Irish nationalist and poet. The name is almost never used for girls and has no strong regional concentration in the U.S.
Pearse is an Irish patronymic surname and given name, anglicized from the Gaelic Mac Piarais, meaning 'son of Piaras'. Piaras itself is the Irish form of Pierce, which is derived from the Norman French Pierre, ultimately from the Greek Petros (rock). The name is historically associated with the Irish republican and poet Patrick Pearse, who was a key figure in the Easter Rising of 1916.
“Pearse” around the world
Where Pearse lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
Ireland
6
babies in 2025
Sources: CSO Ireland (Ireland).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: PJ, Pea
Sibling names for Pearse
Names that share Pearse's style, for a brother or sister.
