The first name Pearl
A girl’s name meaning “pearl river”, “pearl”, “pearl water”.
1 syllable Female Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Pearl means “pearl river”, “pearl”, “pearl water”.
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”).
More names that mean river, water.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 180 girls were named Pearl, making it the 258th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2017, with 234 births (#221).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Pearl with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Pearl at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 350 girls born in the United States were named Pearl, the 777th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1918, when 4,521 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Pearl
18 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Pearl S. BuckAmerican writer (1892–1973)
- Pearl BaileyAmerican actress and singer (1918–1990)
- Pearl MackieBritish actress, born 1987
- Pearl WhiteAmerican actress (1889–1938)
- Pearl EatonAmerican actress (1898–1958)
- Pearl PrimusAmerican dancer and choreographer (1919-1994)
- Pearl van der WisselDutch handball player, born 1984
- Pearl WitheringtonBritish SOE leader (1914–2008)
- Pearl HartAmerican Old West outlaw, 1871–1928
- Pearl KendrickAmerican bacteriologist (1890–1980)
- Pearl LangAmerican dancer (1921–2009)
- Pearl AdayAmerican singer, born 1975
Questions
- What does the name Pearl mean?
- Pearl means “pearl river”, “pearl”, “pearl water”.
- How popular is the name Pearl?
- In 2025, 180 girls born in England and Wales were named Pearl, ranking 258th. Its peak was 2017, with 234 births.
- Is Pearl a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 98% of the 163,010 US babies named Pearl since 1880 were girls.
- When was Pearl most popular?
- 1918 in the United States, when 4,521 babies were named Pearl, its highest rank at 56th.
- Is Pearl also a surname?
- Yes. Pearl is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.