Pearson
A classic English surname meaning “son of Piers” or “son of Peter,” with an old surname form preserved in medieval records.
The #308 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 3,032 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Pearson is a patronymic surname built from the medieval personal name Piers or Peter, with the ending -son meaning “son of.” In older records it can also appear as Person(e), reflecting a shortened or variant form of the same Christian name tradition. The deeper root of Peter comes from Greek petros, “stone” or “rock,” passing into Latin and Old French before entering English.
History
The surname is well attested in medieval England, and 19th-century writers noted early forms such as Person or Persone in records from the early 1300s. It developed alongside other Peter-based surnames such as Pierson and Piers. Pearson remained especially common in England and later spread widely in Britain, North America, and the English-speaking world.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower cited a 14th-century Lichfield register entry for “Rogerus dictus le Person de Banquelle,” showing how closely medieval surname forms could track local speech and spelling.
From the historical record
“' Bosworth Feilde', 457-66 ; Percy's Folio MS. PEARSON, V. Pierson. PEART, V. Pert. PEASCOD (Eng.) meton. for a seller of peas- cods [M.E. pese, a pea, pi. pesen ; O.E. pise, pi.pisani Lat. pts-um, a pea + M.E. codd(e, O.E. codd, a bag] PEASE I like Peace, a var. of Pace, q.v. 2 meton. for a seller of Peas [v. under”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)