Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2003

Perla

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,590 Trend ↓ Falling 32%
Rank 2025
#1,590
among girls · ↓279 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
132
named Perla · -25% vs 2024
How common
1 in 12,176
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2003
1,109 babies
All-time total
20,836
#1,042 all-time among girls
First recorded
1918
in Social Security records

Perla popularity over time

20,836 babies have been named Perla since 1918, 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s 7 – 7 1 – #4,190
1920s 49 – 49 5 +600% #3,822
1930s 51 – 51 5 +4% #2,696
1940s 63 – 63 6 +24% #2,938
1950s 150 – 150 15 +138% #2,278
1960s 279 – 279 28 +86% #1,873
1970s 776 – 776 78 +178% #992
1980s 1,991 5 1,996 200 +157% #736
1990s 4,586 25 4,611 461 +131% #488
2000s 7,485 – 7,485 749 +62% #282
2010s 4,203 – 4,203 420 -44% #452
2020s (to 2025) 1,166 – 1,166 194 -54% #1,013

Where Perla 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 123 0.08 outside top 500
2027 116 0.07 outside top 500
2028 110 0.07 outside top 500
2029 106 0.07 outside top 500
2030 102 0.06 outside top 500

Where Perla is most popular

Girls named Perla per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.113 per 1,000. Strongest in Texas, California, and Florida.

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 Perla 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
Texas 193 0.240 +112%
California 186 0.221 +96%
Florida 55 0.129 +14%
North Carolina 29 0.127 +13%
New York 49 0.124 +9%
Maryland 12 0.113 ≈ national
Michigan 19 0.104 -8%
Kansas 6 0.104 -8%
Virginia 17 0.100 -12%
New Jersey 18 0.100 -12%
Illinois 21 0.092 -19%
Arizona 12 0.086 -24%
Georgia 18 0.079 -30%
Indiana 10 0.071 -37%
Tennessee 10 0.063 -44%
Colorado 6 0.054 -52%
Massachusetts 5 0.041 -63%
Washington 5 0.035 -69%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Perla

Perla is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,590 in 2025 with 132 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1918, 20,836 American babies have been named Perla. Its peak came in 2003, when 1,109 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

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 Perla stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Perla?

The median living Perla is about 22 years old; half are between 15 and 31. An estimated 20 thousand people named Perla are alive in the United States today.

median 22 020406080100

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

Perla 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 132 #1,590 – –
2024 176 #1,311 – –
2023 203 #1,183 – –
2022 208 #1,165 – –
2021 198 #1,208 – –
2020 249 #1,013 – –
2019 236 #1,072 – –
2018 289 #927 – –
2017 345 #795 – –
2016 407 #705 – –
2015 443 #648 – –
2014 441 #648 – –
2013 423 #674 – –
2012 690 #452 – –
2011 444 #644 – –
2010 485 #607 – –
2009 581 #524 – –
2008 662 #479 – –
2007 803 #406 – –
2006 843 #385 – –
2005 865 #365 – –
2004 878 #361 – –
2003 1,109 #282 – –
2002 701 #414 – –
2001 533 #510 – –
2000 510 #519 – –
1995 502 #491 – –
1990 356 #630 5 #9,136
1985 204 #808 – –
1980 166 #911 – –
1975 76 #1,396 – –
1970 33 #2,341 – –
1965 21 #2,729 – –
1960 20 #2,794 – –
1955 12 #3,523 – –
1950 9 #3,882 – –
1945 9 #3,332 – –
1940 – – – –
1935 6 #4,109 – –
1930 5 #5,100 – –
1925 – – – –
1920 5 #5,602 – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Perla

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

  1. 1 Perla Haney-Jardine Perla Haney-Jardine American actress b. 1997 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Perla?

The median living Perla is about 22 years old. Half of all living Perlas are between 15 and 31 years old.

How many people named Perla are alive today?

An estimated 20 thousand people named Perla are alive in the United States, based on 20,836 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Perla in 2025?

Perla ranked #1,590 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 132 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Perla?

20,836 babies have been named Perla in the United States since 1918, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Perla most popular?

Perla peaked in 2003, when 1,109 newborns received the name.

Is Perla a boy or girl name?

Perla is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Perla rising or falling?

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

Will Perla become more popular?

Perla is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 102 girls named Perla 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 Perla?

Well-known people named Perla include Perla Haney-Jardine (actor).

Names like Perla

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

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