# Pearl (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/pearl/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “pearl river”, “pearl”, “pearl water” |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 163,010 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 3,922 / 159,088 (98% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 3,696, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From pearl. * (river in China): From Chinese 珠江 (Zhūjiāng, Zyu1 Gong1, “Pearl River”); calque of Chinese 珠 (zhū, zyu1, “pearl”). * (haven in Hawaii): From Hawaiian Wai Momi (“pearl water”); calque of Hawaiian momi (“pearl”).

## What it means

Pearl is grouped under jewel, river and water.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 335 | 807 |
| 2012 | 368 | 756 |
| 2013 | 424 | 673 |
| 2014 | 454 | 629 |
| 2015 | 461 | 624 |
| 2016 | 549 | 567 |
| 2017 | 455 | 653 |
| 2018 | 460 | 645 |
| 2019 | 387 | 730 |
| 2020 | 351 | 777 |
| 2021 | 385 | 742 |
| 2022 | 382 | 756 |
| 2023 | 351 | 800 |
| 2024 | 351 | 804 |
| 2025 | 350 | 777 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 7 | 3,575 |
| 1961 | 10 | 2,843 |
| 1963 | 7 | 3,570 |
| 1964 | 10 | 2,795 |
| 1965 | 8 | 3,180 |
| 1966 | 12 | 2,426 |
| 1967 | 9 | 2,927 |
| 1969 | 5 | 4,853 |
| 1971 | 9 | 3,586 |
| 1972 | 6 | 4,826 |
| 1973 | 6 | 4,925 |
| 1976 | 6 | 5,432 |
| 1977 | 7 | 4,978 |
| 1980 | 6 | 6,042 |
| 1983 | 5 | 7,025 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 124 | 376 |
| 2012 | 151 | 322 |
| 2013 | 173 | 272 |
| 2014 | 209 | 235 |
| 2015 | 207 | 240 |
| 2016 | 210 | 243 |
| 2017 | 234 | 221 |
| 2018 | 206 | 246 |
| 2019 | 225 | 218 |
| 2020 | 177 | 271 |
| 2021 | 210 | 238 |
| 2022 | 192 | 248 |
| 2023 | 199 | 232 |
| 2024 | 203 | 238 |
| 2025 | 180 | 258 |

## People named Pearl

- Pearl S. Buck, American writer (1892–1973)
- Pearl Bailey, American actress and singer (1918–1990)
- Pearl Mackie, British actress
- Pearl White, American actress (1889–1938)
- Pearl Eaton, American actress (1898–1958)
- Pearl Primus, American dancer and choreographer (1919-1994)
- Pearl van der Wissel, Dutch handball player
- Pearl Witherington, British SOE leader (1914–2008)
- Pearl Hart, American Old West outlaw
- Pearl Kendrick, American bacteriologist (1890–1980)
- Pearl Lang, American dancer (1921–2009)
- Pearl Aday, American singer

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.