Variant of Pierce, from Peter, ultimately from Greek "petros" meaning "rock."
Pearce is an Anglo-Norman form of Pierce, itself derived from the medieval French rendering of Peter. The name Peter traces its ancestry to the Greek Petros, meaning rock or stone, a name famously bestowed by Jesus upon the apostle Simon — "upon this rock I will build my church" — giving the name an almost architectural solidity in Christian theology. Saint Peter's centrality to Catholic tradition made Peter and all its derivatives among the most widely distributed names in Western history, traveling from Greek to Latin to every European vernacular in a succession of adaptations.
The Pearce spelling in particular took firm root in England and Wales, where it appears in records from the 13th century onward, functioning both as a given name and a surname. As a surname, Pearce became especially associated with Wales, where it remains common today. Notable historical bearers include Richard Pearce, the American aviation pioneer, and various members of Parliament and the Anglican clergy who bore the name as a surname.
The poet and classical scholar Thomas Love Peacock occasionally used related forms in his satirical novels, and the name appears throughout the records of colonial America, Australia, and New Zealand wherever English settlers traveled. As a given name in the modern era, Pearce occupies the same appealing space as fellow surname-style names Pierce, Flynn, and Reid — strong and monosyllabic, with a clear historical pedigree but without the weight of constant association with a single famous figure. The -ea- spelling gives it a slightly more distinctive visual character than Pierce, and it reads as both classic and slightly unexpected. Its one-syllable crispness suits contemporary naming preferences, and it carries the apostolic solidity of its ancestor without any of the ecclesiastical stuffiness.