Girls' name · since 1880
Pearl
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 159,088 babies named Pearl, peaking in 1918. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #252 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #776 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 159,088
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
Pearl currently ranks #776 among girls' names in America, with 159,088 babies recorded since 1880.
Pearl has 159,088 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #776 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of girls, busiest in the 1910s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #252 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #776 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 159,088 born since 1880
- 1910s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Pearl ranks #252 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #776 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 159,088 born since 1880, peaking in the 1910s.
- #252 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #776 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 159,088
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
Pearl's 159,088 recorded births place it above 99.65% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Pearl compares
159,088 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Pearl's all-time total is 423x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Pearl | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 159,088 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,521 | 21 | 19,840 |
Pearl's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Pearl's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 12% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 88%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1977, with only 123 births recorded -- set against the 1918 peak of 4,521, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Pearl popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 4,521
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Pearl popularity over time - boys
3,922 total births recorded since 1880 (Pearl as boys' name)
Pearl by decade
1910s is the heaviest window (33,834 births, 21% of the file).
1910s was Pearl's strongest decade.
33,834 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Pearl births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 10,903
1880s
10,903 births
- 1890s
1890s
19,054 births
- 1900s
1900s
20,913 births
- 1910s
1910s
33,834 births
- 1920s
1920s
32,774 births
- 1930s 13,295
1930s
13,295 births
- 1940s 7,778
1940s
7,778 births
- 1950s 4,757
1950s
4,757 births
- 1960s 2,594
1960s
2,594 births
- 1970s 1,471
1970s
1,471 births
- 1980s 1,639
1980s
1,639 births
- 1990s 1,508
1990s
1,508 births
- 2000s 2,238
2000s
2,238 births
- 2010s 4,160
2010s
4,160 births
- 2020s 2,170
2020s
2,170 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 33,834 births (21% of all-time use).
How Pearl compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Pearl's total volume
Pearl by state
Where Pearl concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 11,061 | 7.0% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 8,554 | 5.4% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 4,969 | 3.1% |
| #4 | California | | 4,724 | 3.0% |
| #5 | Texas | | 4,571 | 2.9% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 4,238 | 2.7% |
| #7 | Virginia | | 3,906 | 2.5% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 3,311 | 2.1% |
11,061 of 159,088 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Pearl appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Pearl? ▼
Where does Pearl sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Pearl most popular? ▼
Where is Pearl most popular? ▼
How long has the name Pearl been used? ▼
What names are similar to Pearl? ▼
What to do with Pearl's data
- Pearl's decade-level peak was the 1910s (33,834 total births); usage has since declined to 2,170 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Pearls (11,061 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Pearl
Nearby Names Like Pearl
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Pearl
Compare Pearl side by side: Pearl vs Pearlie Pearl vs Pearline Pearl vs Pearle
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Pearl
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Pearl: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1918)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Pearl draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.