Pearce

maleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Pearce: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Pearce: Recorded since 1972, with a gap of 13 years, it reached #190 in 1998, and it was last ranked in 2016.

3registrars recorded it
47times a registrar ranked it
45years from first to last
#190highest recorded position
10groupings it qualifies for

What stands out in Pearce's record

Absent from every published list for 13 years inside its own recorded period, then ranked again. Names by longest absence

Region

Falling

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2016

View as table

England and Wales · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#784
1997	#914
1998	#887
1999	#973
2000	#1330
2001	#2220
2002	#1411
2003	#1771
2004	#1878
2005	#1716
2006	#1401
2007	#2023
2008	#4432
2009	#2318
2010	#4678
2011	#2892
2012	#3987
2014	#4632
2015	#3908
2016	#4810

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Republic of Ireland in 12 of the 44 years from 1972 to 2015.

In 2015: #699 among boys in Republic of Ireland, #3908 among boys in England and Wales.

Official data from 3 national registrars across 3 regions, 1972–2016 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1972
First recorded at #307 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1972 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2012
Highest recorded position: #190 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 1998 (recorded 1997–2012).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2016
Most recently recorded at #4810 among boys in England and Wales, in 2016.
England and Wales · Boys

Pearce appears in 3 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is England and Wales · Boys, with 20 ranked years and 175 births registered; the earliest is Republic of Ireland · Boys, from 1972.

Pearce across 3 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Pearce's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#307 (1972)	#302 (1993)	#699 (2015)	12 of 44	40 (1972–2015)	4 (1993)
England and Wales · Boys	#784 (1996)	#784 (1996)	#4810 (2016)	20 of 21	175 (1996–2016)	19 (1996)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#210 (1997)	#190 (1998)	#273 (2012)	15 of 16	82 (1997–2012)	7 (1998)

Pearce by decade in England and Wales · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Pearce in England and Wales · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1990s	67	4 of 10	17
2000sbusiest	85	10 of 10	9
2010s	23	6 of 10	4

Across England and Wales · Boys, the 2000s were its busiest decade, averaging 9 births a year.

See the names England and Waleshas recorded the most births with →

Pearce appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 3 regions, from 1972 to 2016. Highest recorded position: #190 in Northern Ireland in 1998.

Pearce's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
2016	England and Wales	male	#4810	3	High	Verified
2015	England and Wales	male	#3908	4	High	Verified
2014	England and Wales	male	#4632	3	High	Verified
2012	England and Wales	male	#3987	4	High	Verified
2011	England and Wales	male	#2892	6	High	Verified
2010	England and Wales	male	#4678	3	High	Verified
2009	England and Wales	male	#2318	8	High	Verified
2008	England and Wales	male	#4432	3	High	Verified
2007	England and Wales	male	#2023	9	High	Verified
2006	England and Wales	male	#1401	14	High	Verified
2005	England and Wales	male	#1716	10	High	Verified
2004	England and Wales	male	#1878	8	High	Verified
2003	England and Wales	male	#1771	8	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	male	#1411	10	High	Verified
2001	England and Wales	male	#2220	5	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	male	#1330	10	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	male	#973	15	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	male	#887	17	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	male	#914	16	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	male	#784	19	High	Verified
2012	Northern Ireland	male	#273	6	High	Verified
2011	Northern Ireland	male	#311	4	High	Verified
2010	Northern Ireland	male	#339	4	High	Verified
2009	Northern Ireland	male	#329	4	High	Verified
2008	Northern Ireland	male	#249	7	High	Verified
2007	Northern Ireland	male	#236	7	High	Verified
2006	Northern Ireland	male	#282	4	High	Verified
2005	Northern Ireland	male	#218	7	High	Verified
2004	Northern Ireland	male	#235	5	High	Verified
2003	Northern Ireland	male	#210	6	High	Verified
2001	Northern Ireland	male	#280	3	High	Verified
2000	Northern Ireland	male	#224	5	High	Verified
1999	Northern Ireland	male	#199	7	High	Verified
1998	Northern Ireland	male	#190	7	High	Verified
1997	Northern Ireland	male	#210	6	High	Verified
2015	Republic of Ireland	male	#699	3	High	Verified
2009	Republic of Ireland	male	#604	4	High	Verified
2008	Republic of Ireland	male	#698	3	High	Verified
2007	Republic of Ireland	male	#527	4	High	Verified
2004	Republic of Ireland	male	#439	4	High	Verified
2003	Republic of Ireland	male	#500	3	High	Verified
2002	Republic of Ireland	male	#451	3	High	Verified
2001	Republic of Ireland	male	#409	3	High	Verified
1994	Republic of Ireland	male	#342	3	High	Verified
1993	Republic of Ireland	male	#302	4	High	Verified
1979	Republic of Ireland	male	#324	3	High	Verified
1972	Republic of Ireland	male	#307	3	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
Northern Ireland hub — collected by NISRA
Republic of Ireland hub — collected by CSO Ireland

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 3 registrars between 1972 and 2016, ranked in 24 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #190, first reached in 1998.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 19 births, registered in England and Wales in 1996.

Its record falls into 5 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 13 years.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1996, and 25 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Peaches · #896, 27y
Peadar · #142, 61y
Pearl · #204, 53y
Pearse · #85, 60y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 3 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Riain · #190, 25y
Keri · #191, 20y
Rome · #191, 22y
Dylon · #188, 21y

Also first recorded in the 1970s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1970 and 1979.

Ieva · #190, 45y
Aifric · #191, 41y
Kristiane · #191, 42y
Malachi · #191, 31y

Pearce was ranked #190 in Northern Ireland · Boys in 1998. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Pearce and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Pearce without appearing here.

Pearce moved ahead of

Ashleigh Compare
In 2001 they stood at #2220 and #1595 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2002 that had become #1411 and #1651.
Roger Compare
In 2006 they stood at #500 and #500 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2007 that had become #527 and #629.
Garry Compare
In 2008 they stood at #698 and #472 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2009 that had become #604 and #701.
Jon Compare
In 1997 they stood at #210 and #210 in Northern Ireland · Boys; by 1998 that had become #190 and #272.

Moved ahead of Pearce

Theodor Compare
In 2009 they stood at #2318 and #2544 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2010 that had become #4678 and #1201.
Conan Compare
In 2007 they stood at #2023 and #3095 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2008 that had become #4432 and #1511.
Mathias Compare
In 2007 they stood at #2023 and #2211 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2008 that had become #4432 and #1511.
Matheo Compare
In 2007 they stood at #2023 and #4333 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2008 that had become #4432 and #2276.

Moved the opposite way to Pearce

Aaron Compare
Between 1972 and 2015 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Pearce went from #307 to #699 while Aaron went from #194 to #26.
Adam Compare
Between 1972 and 2015 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Pearce went from #307 to #699 while Adam went from #158 to #6.
Alex Compare
Between 1972 and 2015 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Pearce went from #307 to #699 while Alex went from #279 to #13.
Alexander Compare
Between 1972 and 2015 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Pearce went from #307 to #699 while Alexander went from #143 to #46.

Moved the same way as Pearce

Adrian Compare
Between 1972 and 2015 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Pearce went from #307 to #699 and Adrian from #50 to #173.
Alan Compare
Between 1972 and 2015 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Pearce went from #307 to #699 and Alan from #11 to #109.
David Compare
Between 1972 and 2015 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Pearce went from #307 to #699 and David from #4 to #23.
Denis Compare
Between 1972 and 2015 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Pearce went from #307 to #699 and Denis from #35 to #180.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 3 regions, from 1972 to 2016. Highest recorded position: #190 in Northern Ireland in 1998. Source data last verified 2026-07-22.

Pearce

Pearce at a glance

What stands out in Pearce's record

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Pearce across 3 official records

Pearce by decade in England and Wales · Boys

Pearce appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1970s

Names published alongside Pearce

Pearce and the names beside it

Pearce moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Pearce

Moved the opposite way to Pearce

Moved the same way as Pearce

Pearce at a glance

What stands out in Pearce's record

Pearce across 3 official records

Pearce by decade in England and Wales · Boys

Pearce appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1970s

Names published alongside Pearce

Pearce and the names beside it

Pearce moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Pearce

Moved the opposite way to Pearce

Moved the same way as Pearce