Pernell

Where Pernell comes from

Pernell hasn't made it into the dictionaries we draw on, and nobody well known enough for an encyclopedia has carried it yet — so for now its story is the one the SSA record tells. Names that spell a familiar sound a new way often live here for a while before anyone writes them down.

Along the way
  1. 1915
    First appearance
    #3,392 among boys, 6 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1928
    Pernell Roberts born
    American actor and singer
  3. 1943
    Mostly boys from here
    Until now more girls than boys got the name; from this year it's the other way round, and has stayed that way.
  4. 1964
    Pernell Whitaker born
    American boxer
  5. 1964
    Peak, #592
    178 babies named Pernell — more than any year before or since.
  6. 1966
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #794.
In the dictionary

No dictionary entry for this spelling — which is its own kind of rare.

Namesakes
  • Pernell Whitaker · American boxer, 1964–2019
  • Pernell Roberts · American actor and singer, 1928–2010
  • Pernell McPhee · American football defensive lineman, born 1988
  • Pernell Schultz · association football player, born 1994
  • Pernell Davis · American football defensive tackle, born 1976

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.