Pearl

#776 for girls in 2025, 350 births · Last seen for boys in 1983 at #6,238
Given to girls 97.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1900 · 2,512 births
Debut · girls
569 births
In top 100 · girls
47 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
159,088
since 1880

Pearl over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201889peak #24, 1900girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#776350
2024#801351
2023#800351
2022#754382
2021#740385
2020#776351
2019#729387
2018#644460
2017#651455
2016#567549
2015#624461
2014#629454
2013#672424
2012#755368
2011#806335
2010#960267
2009#983269
2008#1,016259
2007#991269
2006#1,045245
2005#1,203190
2004#1,152196
2003#1,084203
2002#1,068199
2001#1,035208
2000#1,046200
1999#1,191162
1998#1,150164
1997#1,273138
1996#1,056175
1995#1,113159
1994#1,346124
1993#1,138156
1992#1,126157
1991#1,215142
1990#1,253131
1989#1,168140
1988#1,066148
1987#1,081141
1986#973162
1985#945165
1984#887169
1983#880172#6,2385
1982#824190
1981#846184
1980#900168#5,5256
1979#995143
1978#1,031132
1977#1,062123#4,5827
1976#917143#4,9356
1975#891148
1974#876148
1973#882142#4,5056
1972#804168#4,4416
1971#842163#3,3709
1970#840161
1969#876143#4,4045
1968#757172
1967#738175#2,7609
1966#701195#2,32712
1965#596259#2,9828
1964#587284#2,66510
1963#590284#3,3187
1962#509364
1961#524346#2,70610
1960#505372#3,3377
1959#518350#2,53011
1958#483388#2,26513
1957#447443#1,88718
1956#420468#2,01516
1955#405465#1,48327
1954#388492#1,95616
1953#375516#1,90017
1952#363516#2,25112
1951#347531#2,49510
1950#320588#1,74618
1949#323575#1,66720
1948#290690#1,70319
1947#293713#1,31631
1946#284677#1,50922
1945#265654#1,27027
1944#238756#1,23529
1943#223879#1,01843
1942#1911,092#1,03642
1941#211835#1,53220
1940#197907#1,25129
1939#197902#86750
1938#1891,005#95144
1937#1871,024#93245
1936#1721,120#98940
1935#1671,187#85853
1934#1541,338#1,05938
1933#1431,384#87550
1932#1381,618#98045
1931#1371,648#77565
1930#1212,069#78267
1929#1142,172#73473
1928#1102,367#70281
1927#1022,718#72680
1926#962,899#76571
1925#903,213#80168
1924#783,635#71685
1923#783,543#71183
1922#713,848#74878
1921#654,175#69886
1920#624,204#66791
1919#564,273#61298
1918#564,521#611101
1917#574,232#65084
1916#574,073#71570
1915#563,976#57697
1914#563,223#67357
1913#552,756#51370
1912#542,528#55253
1911#482,075#51433
1910#392,177#59823
1909#402,048#37141
1908#392,075#38936
1907#352,108#36637
1906#352,035#35534
1905#312,108#39329
1904#302,015#36830
1903#272,046#31236
1902#282,100#33135
1901#311,866#27738
1900#242,512#33741
1899#271,999#33129
1898#262,158#29839
1897#252,076#26344
1896#252,101#30637
1895#261,958#26645
1894#281,789#23155
1893#261,796#21962
1892#261,831#29239
1891#271,605#29731
1890#241,741#24348
1889#241,588#22950
1888#261,591#21269
1887#251,316#19164
1886#291,204#18273
1885#261,146#21257
1884#251,138#20962
1883#29886#20057
1882#33824#21558
1881#38641#21152
1880#47569#19662
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Pearl was already there! It came in at #47, and was given to 569 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1967–1981, when fewer than 190 girls a year got the name.

See more about Pearl
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 25 spots since 2024 (#801#776)
  • Same as 2020 (#776)
  • 152 spots since 2015 (#624#776)
  • Biggest jump: 154 spots in 2011 (#960#806)
  • Biggest drop: 145 spots in 1977 (#917#1,062)
Rise & fade · girls
20 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1900 at #24 (2,512 births)
  • Births halved by 1935, 35 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 47 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 47 yrs · run 1880–1926
  • Top 1,000: 123 yrs · run 1880–1976
Share of babies · girls
1 in 109
  • Highest: 1 in 109 girls born in 1890 were named Pearl (0.91%)
  • Latest: 1 in 4,592 girls born in 2025 (0.02%)
  • Its best rank, #24 in 1900, was only 1 in 119 (0.84%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1910s
  • 21.3% of all girls named Pearl (33,834) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s10,903#24 (1889)#30
1890s19,054#24 (1890)#26
1900s20,913#24 (1900)#32
1910s33,834#39 (1910)#53
1920s32,774#62 (1920)#87
1930s13,295#121 (1930)#161
1940s7,778#191 (1942)#252
1950s4,757#320 (1950)#407
1960s2,594#505 (1960)#638
1970s1,471#804 (1972)#914
1980s1,639#824 (1982)#957
1990s1,508#1,056 (1996)#1,186
2000s2,238#983 (2009)#1,062
2010s4,160#567 (2016)#704
2020s2,170#740 (2021)#775

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Pearl in 1889

girls
#24
1,588 births · 1 in 112 girls
boys
#229
50 births · 1 in 2,212 boys

Top girls' names in 1889

  1. #1Mary11,648
  2. #2Anna5,062
  3. #3Elizabeth3,058
  4. #4Margaret2,917
  5. #5Emma2,884
  6. #6Minnie2,624
  7. #7Florence2,465
  8. #8Ethel2,463
  9. #9Bessie2,343
  10. #10Clara2,319
  11. #24Pearl1,588

Top boys' names in 1889

  1. #1John8,548
  2. #2William7,772
  3. #3James5,020
  4. #4George4,430
  5. #5Charles4,199
  6. #6Frank2,975
  7. #7Joseph2,729
  8. #8Harry2,559
  9. #9Robert2,513
  10. #10Edward2,299
  11. #229Pearl50
More about 1889

girls

178,366 girls got a published name in 1889; 1 in 112 of them was named Pearl, which outranked 98.4% of the 1,479 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 21.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Pearl
  1. #21Martha1,711
  2. #22Ella1,647
  3. #23Lillian1,640
  4. #24Pearl1,588
  5. #25Laura1,567
  6. #26Rose1,550
  7. #27Carrie1,547
Biggest movers since 1888
Risers
  1. 635Hellen#1,276#641
  2. 569Diana#1,136#567
  3. 536Hope#1,136#600
  4. 519Adelle#1,276#757
  5. 519Ova#1,276#757
Fallers
  1. 667Zilpha#612#1,279
  2. 643Lular#636#1,279
  3. 616Dagmar#663#1,279
  4. 589Savanah#690#1,279
  5. 555Harry#724#1,279

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

110,580 boys got a published name in 1889; 1 in 2,212 of them was named Pearl, which outranked 79.4% of the 1,111 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 38.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Pearl
  1. #226Bob51
  2. #226Christian51
  3. #226Clark51
  4. #229Pearl50
  5. #229Karl50
  6. #231Julian49
  7. #231Roger49
  8. #233Bud48

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1888
Risers
  1. 506Connie#1,031#525
  2. 483Hamilton#917#434
  3. 482Ballard#1,031#549
  4. 453Bertie#917#464
  5. 450Essie#1,031#581
Fallers
  1. 510Wendell#464#974
  2. 469Melton#505#974
  3. 462Enos#416#878
  4. 394Ruby#580#974
  5. 394Webb#580#974

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1889