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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201931peak #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.

Where Pearl is popular in 1931

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedAKMaine: #103 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 424 girlsMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: #102 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 419 girlsNHWashington: #151 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 792 girlsWAIdaho: #132 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 498 girlsIDMontana: #120 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 489 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #111 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 395 girlsNDMinnesota: #111 for girls · 37 births · 1 in 530 girlsMNIllinois: #122 for girls · 77 births · 1 in 685 girlsILWisconsin: #106 for girls · 39 births · 1 in 592 girlsWIMichigan: #123 for girls · 55 births · 1 in 700 girlsMINew York: #121 for girls · 151 births · 1 in 600 girlsNYMassachusetts: #124 for girls · 37 births · 1 in 809 girlsMARhode Island: #122 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 640 girlsRIOregon: #113 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 506 girlsORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: #136 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 610 girlsSDIowa: #136 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 763 girlsIAIndiana: #152 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 947 girlsINOhio: #130 for girls · 67 births · 1 in 704 girlsOHPennsylvania: #107 for girls · 149 births · 1 in 519 girlsPANew Jersey: #137 for girls · 36 births · 1 in 764 girlsNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #165 for girls · 44 births · 1 in 798 girlsCAUtah: #98 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 396 girlsUTColorado: #130 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 540 girlsCONebraska: #192 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 1,190 girlsNEMissouri: #134 for girls · 45 births · 1 in 600 girlsMOKentucky: #137 for girls · 43 births · 1 in 604 girlsKYWest Virginia: #108 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 418 girlsWVVirginia: #75 for girls · 75 births · 1 in 301 girlsVAMaryland: #78 for girls · 37 births · 1 in 319 girlsMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedDEArizona: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedNMKansas: #135 for girls · 22 births · 1 in 638 girlsKSArkansas: #98 for girls · 44 births · 1 in 400 girlsARTennessee: #150 for girls · 39 births · 1 in 673 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #122 for girls · 68 births · 1 in 497 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #81 for girls · 57 births · 1 in 324 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #90 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 396 girlsDCOklahoma: #131 for girls · 38 births · 1 in 578 girlsOKLouisiana: #104 for girls · 52 births · 1 in 389 girlsLAMississippi: #131 for girls · 38 births · 1 in 529 girlsMSAlabama: #205 for girls · 26 births · 1 in 1,096 girlsALGeorgia: #170 for girls · 36 births · 1 in 822 girlsGAHawaii: #65 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 238 girlsHITexas: #215 for girls · 55 births · 1 in 1,022 girlsTXFlorida: #125 for girls · 23 births · 1 in 510 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Hawaii#65 · 1 in 238
  2. Virginia#75 · 1 in 301
  3. Maryland#78 · 1 in 319
  4. South Carolina#81 · 1 in 324
  5. District of Columbia#90 · 1 in 396

Best ever in a state: #13 in Wyoming, 1910.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Hawaii#65141 in 238
Virginia#75751 in 301
Maryland#78371 in 319
South Carolina#81571 in 324
District of Columbia#9091 in 396
Arkansas#98441 in 400
Utah#98111 in 396
New Hampshire#10271 in 419
Maine#103151 in 424
Louisiana#104521 in 389
Wisconsin#106391 in 592
Pennsylvania#1071491 in 519
West Virginia#108411 in 418
Minnesota#111371 in 530
North Dakota#111151 in 395
Oregon#113101 in 506
Montana#12071 in 489
New York#1211511 in 600
Illinois#122771 in 685
North Carolina#122681 in 497
Rhode Island#12271 in 640
Michigan#123551 in 700
Massachusetts#124371 in 809
Florida#125231 in 510
Colorado#130151 in 540
Ohio#130671 in 704
Mississippi#131381 in 529
Oklahoma#131381 in 578
Idaho#13271 in 498
Missouri#134451 in 600
Kansas#135221 in 638
Iowa#136241 in 763
South Dakota#13691 in 610
Kentucky#137431 in 604
New Jersey#137361 in 764
Tennessee#150391 in 673
Washington#151111 in 792
Indiana#152251 in 947
California#165441 in 798
Georgia#170361 in 822
Nebraska#19291 in 1,190
Alabama#205261 in 1,096
Texas#215551 in 1,022
Alaska———
Arizona———
Connecticut———
Delaware———
Nevada———
New Mexico———
Vermont———
Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

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 1931

girls
#137
1,648 births · 1 in 646 girls
boys
#775
65 births · 1 in 15,995 boys

Top girls' names in 1931

  1. #1Mary60,299
  2. #2Betty36,105
  3. #3Dorothy26,524
  4. #4Barbara21,804
  5. #5Joan19,119
  6. #6Helen17,664
  7. #7Margaret17,332
  8. #8Patricia16,469
  9. #9Shirley14,405
  10. #10Doris13,629
  11. #137Pearl1,648

Top boys' names in 1931

  1. #1Robert60,519
  2. #2James51,212
  3. #3John48,423
  4. #4William43,280
  5. #5Richard31,822
  6. #6Charles29,934
  7. #7Donald29,100
  8. #8George20,685
  9. #9Joseph19,326
  10. #10Thomas16,847
  11. #775Pearl65
More about 1931

girls

1,064,728 girls got a published name in 1931; 1 in 646 of them was named Pearl, which outranked 97.2% of the 4,979 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.9% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Pearl
  1. #134Myrtle1,711
  2. #135Sara1,707
  3. #136Geneva1,664
  4. #137Pearl1,648
  5. #138Rosa1,633
  6. #139Claire1,627
  7. #140Naomi1,517
Biggest movers since 1930
Risers
  1. ↑ 857Joretta#1,320 → #463
  2. ↑ 519Joetta#1,460 → #941
  3. ↑ 483Sondra#1,031 → #548
  4. ↑ 465Celine#1,460 → #995
  5. ↑ 343Lynne#1,274 → #931
Fallers
  1. ↓ 377Margo#937 → #1,314
  2. ↓ 349Rachael#894 → #1,243
  3. ↓ 317Evelyne#926 → #1,243
  4. ↓ 287Vivien#971 → #1,258
  5. ↓ 283Ardeth#629 → #912

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

boys

1,039,665 boys got a published name in 1931; 1 in 15,995 of them was named Pearl, which outranked 82.1% of the 4,321 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Pearl
  1. #768Margarito66
  2. #768Melton66
  3. #768Norton66
  4. #775Pearl65
  5. #775Bertrand65
  6. #775Claire65
  7. #775Dock65
  8. #785Duncan64
  9. #785Isadore64
  10. #787Arvin63

Tied with 9 names at #775; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1930
Risers
  1. ↑ 794Kenton#1,753 → #959
  2. ↑ 420Wyman#1,330 → #910
  3. ↑ 408Jan#1,330 → #922
  4. ↑ 402Leopold#1,399 → #997
  5. ↑ 398Odie#1,299 → #901
Fallers
  1. ↓ 513Artie#976 → #1,489
  2. ↓ 469Arnulfo#892 → #1,361
  3. ↓ 385Rose#832 → #1,217
  4. ↓ 357Ransom#976 → #1,333
  5. ↓ 343Jodie#990 → #1,333

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

See the top 100 for 1931 →