St. Pierre
A French surname meaning “Saint Peter,” usually referring to someone associated with a place, parish, or devotion to St. Peter.
The #3,685 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 32,034 Americans shares it.
Etymology
St. Pierre is the French form of “Saint Peter,” from Latin *sanctus Petrus*. As a surname, it was commonly adopted from a place name, parish name, or church dedication rather than as a direct inherited nickname. The underlying name Peter means “rock” in Greek, but in surname use the saintly reference is the main sense.
History
The surname is especially associated with French-speaking regions and was carried into North America by French settlers and later by migration from Quebec and other Francophone areas. In records, it may appear both with and without the period after St., and the spacing may vary. As with many French devotional surnames, it likely arose independently in more than one place.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because French surnames often preserve old parish or locality names, St. Pierre can sometimes point to a family’s historical connection with a church or village dedicated to St. Peter.