Peter is a Brady and a bunny rabbit, and a saintly classic, too. This related name takes him in a more dashing direction.
Thanks to Emily for suggesting Piers as our Baby Name of the Day.
Peter was a nickname given to the apostle Simon, indicating his importance in the early Christian church. It comes from the Syriac kefa – rock. Kefa became Cephas became Petros, and eventually we arrived at the name we know today.
Given the significance of the saint, it is no surprise his name was popular in Medieval Europe. Variants can be found throughout the Christian world, from the Spanish Pedro to the Russian Pyotr.
The Normans brought the name to England as Pierre or Pierres; in English, the common form became Piers, though variant spellings abound.
Piers endures at least in part because of William Langland’s fourteenth century epic Piers Plowman. The protagonist is Will, a man who has drifted off to sleep and dreams of heaven and hell. Will’s dreams are a search for the Truth, and Piers the Plowman appears as his guide.
Beyond his literary uses, Piers was worn by historical figures. At the turn of the 1300s, King Edward II made his close friend, Piers Gaveston, the 1st Earl of Cornwall. Two centuries later, a member of the influential Butler family of Ireland answered to the name Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond.
By then, however, Piers was fading in favor of Peter. Surnames derived from the name cluster are many, including:
- Pierce, Pearce;
- Parkin, Perkin, Perkins;
- Pierson, Peterson.
The surname form Pierce has long appeared in the first spot. After Pierce Brosnan’s career took off with the 1980s detective series Remington Steele, Pierce re-entered the US Top 1000. He’s bounced around since then, ranking #480 in 2009.
Both Pierce and Piers share a pronunciation – the single syllable peers, though you might hear more of a -z ending – peerz, especially for Piers.
Piers has never appeared in the US rankings, but several familiar figures wear the name:
- Piers Courage was a British-born race car driver, when he wasn’t busy being heir to the Courage Brewing family;
- Piers Morgan graduated from British tabloids and reality shows to win The Celebrity Apprentice and snag his own show on CNN;
- Piers Anthony has penned many a New York Times bestseller in the fantasy and sci fi genre.
As for the kind of pier that you see near the water, it may ultimately link back to the same origin, but it isn’t certain. Piers does pick up a certain noun-name vibe, and maybe even a hint of nature-name style, from the similarity.
With single-syllable surname borrowings from Blake to Reece finding favor with parents, Pierce seems likely to remain in use. Piers takes the name in a more adventurous direction. While it would take some spelling, and maybe a dash of explaining, Piers could wear equally well.
Like Kayt, I can’t get Piers Polkiss out of my head.
Also, Pierce is one of the few names that I actually *hate*. I shudder everytime I hear it, and that’s because of a few nasty Pierces I knew, as well as the verb “to pierce”.
Sorry. I have to say no.
I prefer the name Pier (pronounced like Pierre). I met a guy with this name once – he was from Peru, so maybe this is another Spanish variant on the name.
I kind of like Piers, especially as an alternative to Peter. I want to like Peter because he’s distinguished, but I can’t get past the male parts slang.
I wonder if Piers will get more popular if Piers Morgan’s new show is a hit.
It’s a nice name, definitely has a British vibe to me. I prefer the spelling Pierce, since I can’t *not* pronounce Piers as /peerz/.
I feel like I picked the names for this week. Piers/Pierce, Frank, and Lucinda are all favorites.
Piers is one of my favorite boys names. It works with my husband’s last name and would honor my grandfather Phillip. I love my grandfather, but I have no great love for his name. I think it has something to do with the way that it feels in my mouth as I say it.
I feel like Piers works with the zeitgeist; it’s short but with history and the pared down aesthetic of and Eames chair.
Ooooh, for some reason, I’ve always been very drawn to Peter, and lately have liked Piers, but I didn’t know about the connection between the two. I like Piers even more now. I don’t know why I like the sound…it seems unexpected or something. I’m trying to picture it on a little guy, though. I’m not sure I would bestow this one on my own child but I would be so thrilled to meet one!
It’s not a bad name, but I always think of Piers Polkiss from Harry Potter, one of Dudley’s nasty friends. It is a decent alternative to Peter, though, and I think it has a more international, European sort of vibe.
Also, isn’t there a Piers that is a judge on one of those tv shows? Britain’s Got Talent maybe?
The same Piers Morgan mentioned by Abby. He’s on America’s Got Talent.
I’m afraid I don’t quite like this one for some reason. To… tangy. Or something. Does that make sense to anyone but me? Probably not. I guess I don’t mind him, and he’s eons better than Jayden or something top ten, but he’s just not quite my style
You and me both