Pearl
Pearl was the 777th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 350 babies. Its best year was 1889, when it ranked 24th; the most babies were born in 1918 (4,521). Over the last ten years it has moved down 153 places. More babies were named Pearl in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Meaning pearl (gem name) · English, Latin
Say it PURL /pɝl/
- Rank in 2025
- #777 girls, unchanged since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 350girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19184,521 babies
- Total since 1880
- 163,010babies recorded
What does the name Pearl mean?
Pearl is a gem name taken from the English word, as Wiktionary notes. The American Heritage Dictionary traces pearl through Old French to a Latin word perhaps meaning a small seashell, from perna, ham or mussel, named for its shape. Pearl has been used in the US since 1880, occasionally for boys too, and was most common in the 1910s. Margaret, from Greek for pearl, carries the same meaning.
perle (Old French, “pearl”)perna (Latin, “ham; seashell”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Perla, Margaret, Pearle.
See also: English names, names that mean jewel.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Pearl' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., entry 'pearl' (etymology), HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Margaret', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Pearl popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 3,922 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #777 | 350 |
| 2020 | #777 | 351 |
| 2010 | #961 | 267 |
| 2000 | #1,047 | 200 |
| 1990 | #1,256 | 131 |
| 1980 | #901 | 168 |
| 1970 | #842 | 161 |
| 1960 | #505 | 372 |
| 1950 | #320 | 588 |
| 1940 | #197 | 907 |
| 1930 | #121 | 2,069 |
| 1920 | #62 | 4,204 |
| 1910 | #39 | 2,177 |
| 1900 | #24 | 2,512 |
| 1890 | #24 | 1,741 |
| 1880 | #47 | 569 |
How popular is Pearl, counting every spelling?
Pearl is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #734 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #777 for Pearl on its own. Together these spellings went to 382 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearl | 350 | #777 | 1,819 |
| Perl | 32 | #4,436 | 145 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Pearl?
350 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Pearl (0.10 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Pearl born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 24 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Pearl.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Pearl?
About 26,200 people born in the US named Pearl are alive today, with a median age of 58; half are between 17 and 78. That makes Pearl a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Pearl by state
How common Pearl was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New York (2.7×), Minnesota (2.4×), Oregon (2.3×), Utah (2.0×), Washington (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Pearl: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Pearl, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Pearl · Sibling names for Pearl
Questions about the name Pearl
What does Pearl mean?
Pearl means “pearl (gem name)” (English, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Pearl?
Pearl was the 777th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 350 babies. Its best year was 1889, when it ranked 24th; the most babies were born in 1918 (4,521). Over the last ten years it has moved down 153 places. More babies were named Pearl in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Is Pearl a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Pearl in the US.
Where is Pearl most popular?
In 2021–2025, Pearl was most common in New York (0.61 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alaska and Minnesota.