girls' name ★ peaked 1918

Pearl

Meaning A unisex given name from English Gender Girl · 2% boys Rank 2025 #777 Trend → Stable

A unisex given name from English.

Rank 2025
#777
among girls · ↑27 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
350
named Pearl
How common
1 in 4,592
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1918
4,622 babies
All-time total
163,010
#252 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Pearl popularity over time

163,010 babies have been named Pearl since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 10,903 604 11,507 1,151 – #24
1890s 19,054 429 19,483 1,948 +69% #24
1900s 20,913 357 21,270 2,127 +9% #24
1910s 33,834 686 34,520 3,452 +62% #39
1920s 32,774 796 33,570 3,357 -3% #62
1930s 13,295 497 13,792 1,379 -59% #121
1940s 7,778 282 8,060 806 -42% #191
1950s 4,757 158 4,915 492 -39% #320
1960s 2,594 68 2,662 266 -46% #505
1970s 1,471 34 1,505 151 -43% #807
1980s 1,639 11 1,650 165 +10% #828
1990s 1,508 – 1,508 151 -9% #1,062
2000s 2,238 – 2,238 224 +48% #985
2010s 4,160 – 4,160 416 +86% #567
2020s (to 2025) 2,170 – 2,170 362 -13% #742

Where Pearl is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 344 0.21 outside top 500
2027 338 0.21 outside top 500
2028 334 0.21 outside top 500
2029 330 0.21 outside top 500
2030 327 0.20 outside top 500

Where Pearl is most popular

Girls named Pearl per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.224 per 1,000. Strongest in New York, Alaska, and Minnesota.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Pearl born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New York 240 0.606 +170%
Alaska 5 0.581 +159%
Minnesota 58 0.537 +140%
Oregon 34 0.522 +133%
Utah 38 0.457 +104%
Washington 64 0.443 +98%
New Jersey 79 0.438 +95%
Hawaii 5 0.436 +95%
Colorado 44 0.394 +76%
Idaho 13 0.389 +73%
Connecticut 22 0.378 +69%
Wisconsin 38 0.369 +65%
Massachusetts 42 0.347 +55%
Arizona 41 0.292 +30%
Maryland 29 0.274 +22%
Ohio 63 0.266 +18%
Illinois 59 0.258 +15%
California 203 0.241 +8%
Missouri 27 0.224 ≈ national
Iowa 12 0.205 -8%
Georgia 43 0.189 -16%
Pennsylvania 43 0.182 -19%
North Carolina 39 0.171 -24%
Michigan 31 0.170 -24%
Florida 68 0.159 -29%
Texas 118 0.147 -35%
Tennessee 23 0.145 -35%
Indiana 20 0.142 -36%
Virginia 24 0.141 -37%
Nebraska 5 0.139 -38%
Mississippi 5 0.107 -52%
Arkansas 5 0.095 -58%
Oklahoma 6 0.082 -64%
Louisiana 5 0.057 -75%
South Carolina 5 0.056 -75%
Alabama 5 0.053 -76%
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Pearl

Pearl is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #777 in 2025 with 350 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 163,010 American babies have been named Pearl. Its peak came in 1918, when 4,622 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Pearl stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Pearl?

The median living Pearl is about 63 years old; half are between 19 and 80. An estimated 29 thousand people named Pearl are alive in the United States today.

median 63 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Pearl year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 350 #777 – –
2024 351 #804 – –
2023 351 #800 – –
2022 382 #756 – –
2021 385 #742 – –
2020 351 #777 – –
2019 387 #730 – –
2018 460 #645 – –
2017 455 #653 – –
2016 549 #567 – –
2015 461 #624 – –
2014 454 #629 – –
2013 424 #673 – –
2012 368 #756 – –
2011 335 #807 – –
2010 267 #961 – –
2009 269 #985 – –
2008 259 #1,017 – –
2007 269 #994 – –
2006 245 #1,048 – –
2005 190 #1,206 – –
2004 196 #1,160 – –
2003 203 #1,091 – –
2002 199 #1,071 – –
2001 208 #1,036 – –
2000 200 #1,047 – –
1995 159 #1,119 – –
1990 131 #1,256 – –
1985 165 #946 – –
1980 168 #901 6 #6,042
1975 148 #894 – –
1970 161 #842 – –
1965 259 #601 8 #3,180
1960 372 #505 7 #3,575
1955 465 #406 27 #1,499
1950 588 #320 18 #1,796
1945 654 #265 27 #1,290
1940 907 #197 29 #1,271
1935 1,187 #167 53 #868
1930 2,069 #121 67 #791
1925 3,213 #90 68 #807
1920 4,204 #62 91 #672
1915 3,976 #56 97 #579
1910 2,177 #39 23 #614
1905 2,108 #31 29 #401
1900 2,512 #24 41 #342
1895 1,958 #26 45 #267
1890 1,741 #24 48 #245
1885 1,146 #26 57 #212
1880 569 #47 62 #196

Famous people named Pearl

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Pearl S. Buck Pearl S. Buck American writer (1892–1973) 19th century
  2. 2 Pearl Bailey Pearl Bailey American actress and singer (1918–1990) Contemporary
  3. 3 Pearl Mackie Pearl Mackie British actress (born 1987) Contemporary
  4. 4 Pearl White Pearl White American actress (1889–1938) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Pearl, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Pearl?

The median living Pearl is about 63 years old. Half of all living Pearls are between 19 and 80 years old.

How many people named Pearl are alive today?

An estimated 29 thousand people named Pearl are alive in the United States, based on 163,010 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Pearl mean?

A unisex given name from English.

How popular is the name Pearl in 2025?

Pearl ranked #777 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 350 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Pearl?

163,010 babies have been named Pearl in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Pearl most popular?

Pearl peaked in 1918, when 4,622 newborns received the name.

Is Pearl a boy or girl name?

Pearl is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Pearl rising or falling?

Pearl is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Pearl become more popular?

Pearl is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 327 girls named Pearl in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Pearl?

Well-known people named Pearl include Pearl S. Buck (writer), Pearl Bailey (actor), Pearl Mackie (actor).

Names like Pearl

Names that sound and feel close to Pearl: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Pearl with similar names → More names starting with P →