# Pearl (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/pearl/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from English.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 7,570 |
| US rank (2010) | 4,687 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 40,785 people |
| Change since 2000 | +1.8% (7,435 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## 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”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Pearl in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 84% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 9.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.7% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Pearl in the United States.

## People named Pearl

- Daniel Pearl, American journalist (1963–2002)
- Raymond Pearl, American biogerontologist (1879-1940)
- Matthew Pearl, American writer
- Barry Pearl, American actor
- Bill Pearl, American bodybuilder
- Jack Pearl, American actor (1894-1982)
- Daniel Pearl, American cinematographer

## Similar surnames

Perillo, Perla, Perl, Parrilla, Prill, Prioleau, Prall, Prahl, Prowell, Purewal, Pröll.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.