Pearl
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- PURL
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #274 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #776 for girls
Pearl is a girls' name of English origin, meaning “a pearl”. In 2025 it ranked 274th for girls in the UK (180 babies) and 776th for girls in the US (350 babies).
What does Pearl mean?
English: gem name, via Old French perle
“a pearl”
Pearl is a traditional birthstone for June; in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Pearl is Hester Prynne's daughter.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Pearl a girl's or a boy's name?
Pearl is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 180 girls in the UK and 350 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Pearl in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #274among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 180about 1 in 1,500 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 4% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 180 girls in the UK were named Pearl, making it the 274th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 285th. Its busiest year was 2017, with 241 girls.
2025 had fewer girls named Pearl than any year since 2013.
Half of all the girls named Pearl in the UK since 1996 were born between 2012 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among girls in 2025, it was 258th in England and Wales.
Pearl in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 180 | #274 |
| 2024 | 218 | #240 |
| 2023 | 203 | #249 |
| 2022 | 200 | #257 |
| 2021 | 219 | #248 |
| 2020 | 182 | #285 |
| 2019 | 236 | #226 |
| 2018 | 209 | #263 |
| 2017 | 241 | #235 |
| 2016 | 215 | #265 |
| 2015 | 212 | #259 |
| 2014 | 211 | #258 |
| 2013 | 176 | #298 |
| 2012 | 155 | #348 |
| 2011 | 130 | #390 |
| 2010 | 106 | #448 |
| 2009 | 115 | #414 |
| 2008 | 96 | #474 |
| 2007 | 77 | #538 |
| 2006 | 74 | #545 |
| 2005 | 66 | #555 |
| 2004 | 38 | #794 |
| 2003 | 46 | #675 |
| 2002 | 37 | #750 |
| 2001 | 28 | #891 |
| 2000 | 25 | #954 |
| 1999 | 26 | #923 |
| 1998 | 29 | #854 |
| 1997 | 22 | #1,022 |
| 1996 | 27 | #878 |
How popular is Pearl in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #776among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 350about 1 in 4,600 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 12% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 350 girls in the US were named Pearl, making it the 776th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 776th. Its busiest year was 1918, with 4,521 girls.
2025 had fewer girls named Pearl than any year since 2011.
Half of all the girls named Pearl in the US since 1880 were born between 1904 and 1930, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 382 girls in the US were given Pearl or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #725, up from #776 for this spelling alone.
- Pearl 350
- Perl 32
Pearl in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 350 | #776 |
| 2024 | 351 | #801 |
| 2023 | 351 | #800 |
| 2022 | 382 | #754 |
| 2021 | 385 | #740 |
| 2020 | 351 | #776 |
| 2019 | 387 | #729 |
| 2018 | 460 | #644 |
| 2017 | 455 | #651 |
| 2016 | 549 | #567 |
| 2015 | 461 | #624 |
| 2014 | 454 | #629 |
| 2013 | 424 | #672 |
| 2012 | 368 | #755 |
| 2011 | 335 | #806 |
| 2010 | 267 | #960 |
| 2009 | 269 | #983 |
| 2008 | 259 | #1,016 |
| 2007 | 269 | #991 |
| 2006 | 245 | #1,045 |
| 2005 | 190 | #1,203 |
| 2004 | 196 | #1,151 |
| 2003 | 203 | #1,083 |
| 2002 | 199 | #1,067 |
| 2001 | 208 | #1,034 |
| 2000 | 200 | #1,044 |
| 1999 | 162 | #1,189 |
| 1998 | 164 | #1,148 |
| 1997 | 138 | #1,271 |
| 1996 | 175 | #1,054 |
| 1995 | 159 | #1,110 |
| 1994 | 124 | #1,343 |
| 1993 | 156 | #1,136 |
| 1992 | 157 | #1,124 |
| 1991 | 142 | #1,211 |
| 1990 | 131 | #1,249 |
| 1989 | 140 | #1,165 |
| 1988 | 148 | #1,065 |
| 1987 | 141 | #1,081 |
| 1986 | 162 | #973 |
| 1985 | 165 | #945 |
| 1984 | 169 | #887 |
| 1983 | 172 | #880 |
| 1982 | 190 | #824 |
| 1981 | 184 | #846 |
| 1980 | 168 | #900 |
| 1979 | 143 | #995 |
| 1978 | 132 | #1,031 |
| 1977 | 123 | #1,062 |
| 1976 | 143 | #917 |
| 1975 | 148 | #891 |
| 1974 | 148 | #876 |
| 1973 | 142 | #882 |
| 1972 | 168 | #804 |
| 1971 | 163 | #842 |
| 1970 | 161 | #840 |
| 1969 | 143 | #876 |
| 1968 | 172 | #757 |
| 1967 | 175 | #738 |
| 1966 | 195 | #701 |
| 1965 | 259 | #596 |
| 1964 | 284 | #587 |
| 1963 | 284 | #590 |
| 1962 | 364 | #509 |
| 1961 | 346 | #524 |
| 1960 | 372 | #505 |
| 1959 | 350 | #518 |
| 1958 | 388 | #483 |
| 1957 | 443 | #447 |
| 1956 | 468 | #419 |
| 1955 | 465 | #404 |
| 1954 | 492 | #387 |
| 1953 | 516 | #374 |
| 1952 | 516 | #362 |
| 1951 | 531 | #346 |
| 1950 | 588 | #320 |
| 1949 | 575 | #323 |
| 1948 | 690 | #290 |
| 1947 | 713 | #293 |
| 1946 | 677 | #284 |
| 1945 | 654 | #265 |
| 1944 | 756 | #238 |
| 1943 | 879 | #223 |
| 1942 | 1,092 | #191 |
| 1941 | 835 | #211 |
| 1940 | 907 | #197 |
| 1939 | 902 | #197 |
| 1938 | 1,005 | #189 |
| 1937 | 1,024 | #187 |
| 1936 | 1,120 | #172 |
| 1935 | 1,187 | #167 |
| 1934 | 1,338 | #154 |
| 1933 | 1,384 | #143 |
| 1932 | 1,618 | #138 |
| 1931 | 1,648 | #137 |
| 1930 | 2,069 | #121 |
| 1929 | 2,172 | #114 |
| 1928 | 2,367 | #110 |
| 1927 | 2,718 | #102 |
| 1926 | 2,899 | #96 |
| 1925 | 3,213 | #90 |
| 1924 | 3,635 | #78 |
| 1923 | 3,543 | #78 |
| 1922 | 3,848 | #71 |
| 1921 | 4,175 | #65 |
| 1920 | 4,204 | #62 |
| 1919 | 4,273 | #56 |
| 1918 | 4,521 | #56 |
| 1917 | 4,232 | #57 |
| 1916 | 4,073 | #57 |
| 1915 | 3,976 | #56 |
| 1914 | 3,223 | #56 |
| 1913 | 2,756 | #55 |
| 1912 | 2,528 | #54 |
| 1911 | 2,075 | #48 |
| 1910 | 2,177 | #39 |
| 1909 | 2,048 | #40 |
| 1908 | 2,075 | #39 |
| 1907 | 2,108 | #35 |
| 1906 | 2,035 | #35 |
| 1905 | 2,108 | #31 |
| 1904 | 2,015 | #30 |
| 1903 | 2,046 | #27 |
| 1902 | 2,100 | #28 |
| 1901 | 1,866 | #31 |
| 1900 | 2,512 | #24 |
| 1899 | 1,999 | #27 |
| 1898 | 2,158 | #26 |
| 1897 | 2,076 | #25 |
| 1896 | 2,101 | #25 |
| 1895 | 1,958 | #26 |
| 1894 | 1,789 | #28 |
| 1893 | 1,796 | #26 |
| 1892 | 1,831 | #26 |
| 1891 | 1,605 | #27 |
| 1890 | 1,741 | #24 |
| 1889 | 1,588 | #24 |
| 1888 | 1,591 | #26 |
| 1887 | 1,316 | #25 |
| 1886 | 1,204 | #29 |
| 1885 | 1,146 | #26 |
| 1884 | 1,138 | #25 |
| 1883 | 886 | #29 |
| 1882 | 824 | #33 |
| 1881 | 641 | #38 |
| 1880 | 569 | #47 |
Names like Pearl
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Hazel Mabel Nellie Rose Olive Rosa Frankie Lola Florence Elsie Ada Lottie
Other spellings of Pearl
Names related to Pearl
More English names
Lily Evelyn Hudson Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hallie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Pearl: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/pearl, updated 20 October 2026.