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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201949peak #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 1949

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedNHWashington: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedWAIdaho: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedIDMontana: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedNDMinnesota: #330 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 4,062 girlsMNIllinois: #372 for girls · 19 births · 1 in 4,516 girlsILWisconsin: #332 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 4,614 girlsWIMichigan: #345 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 4,158 girlsMINew York: #304 for girls · 46 births · 1 in 3,085 girlsNYMassachusetts: #301 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 4,471 girlsMARhode Island: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedRIOregon: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedSDIowa: #300 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 3,411 girlsIAIndiana: #311 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 3,231 girlsINOhio: #337 for girls · 21 births · 1 in 4,129 girlsOHPennsylvania: #276 for girls · 37 births · 1 in 2,776 girlsPANew Jersey: #254 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 2,497 girlsNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #379 for girls · 32 births · 1 in 3,538 girlsCAUtah: #216 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 1,175 girlsUTColorado: #232 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 1,584 girlsCONebraska: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedNEMissouri: #392 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 4,843 girlsMOKentucky: #266 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 2,271 girlsKYWest Virginia: #266 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 2,168 girlsWVVirginia: #221 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 1,489 girlsVAMaryland: #247 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 1,871 girlsMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedDEArizona: #232 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 1,113 girlsAZNew Mexico: #246 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 1,238 girlsNMKansas: #289 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 2,568 girlsKSArkansas: #259 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 1,719 girlsARTennessee: #362 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 3,769 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #300 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 2,452 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #242 for girls · 19 births · 1 in 1,464 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 girls named Pearl, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #260 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 1,955 girlsOKLouisiana: #244 for girls · 26 births · 1 in 1,291 girlsLAMississippi: #239 for girls · 23 births · 1 in 1,268 girlsMSAlabama: #311 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 2,494 girlsALGeorgia: #370 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 3,550 girlsGAHawaii: #106 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 377 girlsHITexas: #429 for girls · 27 births · 1 in 3,508 girlsTXFlorida: #443 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 4,489 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Hawaii#106 · 1 in 377
  2. Utah#216 · 1 in 1,175
  3. Virginia#221 · 1 in 1,489
  4. Arizona#232 · 1 in 1,113
  5. Colorado#232 · 1 in 1,584

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Hawaii#106141 in 377
Utah#21671 in 1,175
Virginia#221241 in 1,489
Arizona#23281 in 1,113
Colorado#23291 in 1,584
Mississippi#239231 in 1,268
South Carolina#242191 in 1,464
Louisiana#244261 in 1,291
New Mexico#24671 in 1,238
Maryland#247121 in 1,871
New Jersey#254171 in 2,497
Arkansas#259131 in 1,719
Oklahoma#260111 in 1,955
Kentucky#266151 in 2,271
West Virginia#266111 in 2,168
Pennsylvania#276371 in 2,776
Kansas#28971 in 2,568
Iowa#30081 in 3,411
North Carolina#300201 in 2,452
Massachusetts#301101 in 4,471
New York#304461 in 3,085
Alabama#311151 in 2,494
Indiana#311131 in 3,231
Minnesota#33081 in 4,062
Wisconsin#33281 in 4,614
Ohio#337211 in 4,129
Michigan#345171 in 4,158
Tennessee#362101 in 3,769
Georgia#370121 in 3,550
Illinois#372191 in 4,516
California#379321 in 3,538
Missouri#39281 in 4,843
Texas#429271 in 3,508
Florida#44361 in 4,489
Alaska———
Connecticut———
Delaware———
District of Columbia———
Idaho———
Maine———
Montana———
Nebraska———
Nevada———
New Hampshire———
North Dakota———
Oregon———
Rhode Island———
South Dakota———
Vermont———
Washington———
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 1949

girls
#323
575 births · 1 in 2,975 girls
boys
#1,667
20 births · 1 in 88,697 boys

Top girls' names in 1949

  1. #1Linda91,015
  2. #2Mary66,874
  3. #3Patricia46,324
  4. #4Barbara42,600
  5. #5Susan37,709
  6. #6Sandra30,643
  7. #7Nancy29,249
  8. #8Carol26,780
  9. #9Kathleen26,357
  10. #10Sharon25,713
  11. #323Pearl575

Top boys' names in 1949

  1. #1James86,858
  2. #2Robert83,873
  3. #3John81,178
  4. #4William61,506
  5. #5Michael60,047
  6. #6David59,611
  7. #7Richard50,946
  8. #8Thomas45,192
  9. #9Charles40,052
  10. #10Larry31,819
  11. #1,667Pearl20
More about 1949

girls

1,710,877 girls got a published name in 1949; 1 in 2,975 of them was named Pearl, which outranked 94.7% of the 6,066 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.7% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Pearl
  1. #320Amelia589
  2. #321Daisy580
  3. #322Flora577
  4. #323Pearl575
  5. #324Della574
  6. #324Kathie574
  7. #326Bette570
Biggest movers since 1948
Risers
  1. ↑ 937Sharman#1,708 → #771
  2. ↑ 665Roseanna#1,422 → #757
  3. ↑ 483Shauna#1,173 → #690
  4. ↑ 293Jacalyn#1,116 → #823
  5. ↑ 267Sanjuana#1,185 → #918
Fallers
  1. ↓ 339Sandie#939 → #1,278
  2. ↓ 296Syble#955 → #1,251
  3. ↓ 272Shirleen#964 → #1,236
  4. ↓ 266Ginny#734 → #1,000
  5. ↓ 260Dina#861 → #1,121

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

boys

1,773,939 boys got a published name in 1949; 1 in 88,697 of them was named Pearl, which outranked 60.4% of the 4,205 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Pearl
  1. #1,616Thedore21
  2. #1,616Thelbert21
  3. #1,616Ty21
  4. #1,667Pearl20
  5. #1,667Ace20
  6. #1,667Alvino20
  7. #1,667Basilio20
  8. #1,702Adelbert19
  9. #1,702Allie19
  10. #1,702Alpha19

Tied with 34 names at #1,667; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1948
Risers
  1. ↑ 538Lannie#1,107 → #569
  2. ↑ 411Lenwood#1,296 → #885
  3. ↑ 338Robby#1,296 → #958
  4. ↑ 326Ocie#1,323 → #997
  5. ↑ 319Denzil#1,127 → #808
Fallers
  1. ↓ 473Loyal#989 → #1,462
  2. ↓ 446Rich#963 → #1,409
  3. ↓ 395Brock#733 → #1,128
  4. ↓ 376Baron#972 → #1,348
  5. ↓ 333Murry#989 → #1,322

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

See the top 100 for 1949 →