← All names

Pearse

Boy name · 42 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Pearse: 42 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to boys, peaking at 6 births in 2006.

Pearse is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic form of the English name Piers, which itself derives from the Greek Petros, meaning "rock" or "stone." It shares its root with Peter, and in Ireland it is most famously associated with Patrick Pearse, the poet, educator, and key leader of the 1916 Easter Rising, whose passionate nationalism made him a central figure in Irish history. The name also connects to the Scottish clan MacPherson, meaning "son of the parson," though this is a different root. While no major places are named directly after Pearse, the name carries a strong cultural weight in both Ireland and Scotland, particularly among families with a republican or Gaelic revivalist background. A notable variant is the Welsh form, Piers, which remains popular in England.