Given name & surname
Pier
“as solid and strong as a rock”
Pier is a variant of Petronela. In Latin use, Petronela carries the interpretation “as solid and strong as a rock.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Pier is a variant of Petronela. In Latin use, Petronela carries the interpretation “as solid and strong as a rock.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Pier is a diminutive of Pieter. Pieter comes from Middle Dutch, and ultimately from Aramaic.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In Dutch usage, Pier is a diminutive of Pieter.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1953. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Pier through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 483
- 119 boys · 364 girls
- Most popular year
- 1957
- 35 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 868 as a first name in 2020; 2,086 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Pier’s family of names
In Dutch usage, Pier is a diminutive of Pieter. Pier has a related form in Petronela. In French usage, Pier has a related form in Pierre.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Pier
- Pier Paolo PasoliniItalian writer, filmmaker, poet, and intellectual (1922–1975)
- Pier Luigi BersaniItalian politicianborn 1951
- Pier Luigi NerviItalian engineer (1891-1979)
- Pier Luigi FarneseDuke of Parma (1503-1547)
- Pier Gerlofs DoniaFrisian warrior, pirate, and rebel1480–1520
- Piero SoderiniItalian politician (1450–1522)
- Pier Ferdinando CasiniItalian politician (born 1955)
- Pier Andrea SaccardoItalian botanist and mycologist (1845–1920)
- Pier GonellaItalian guitarist (born 1977)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Pier, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Perri
“one who travels; a wanderer”
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19% boys · 81% girls
Peggy
Peggy is used as a given name and a surname. Peggy is connected with Maggie and Margaret.
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Peri
Peri is a surname. It is used in English and Finnish.
>99% girls
Pennie
Pennie is a surname.
>99% girls
Sheryl
“one who is greatly loved; a darling” · “from the bright clearing”
>99% girls
Mel
“a dark-skinned beauty” · “from the mill town”
42% boys · 58% girls
Paulett
>99% girls