Unisex name · since 1929
Perl
Perl has 616 recorded births since 1929 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2023 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #10,381 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,374 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 616
- born since 1929
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Perl is the #4374 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 616 recorded since 1929.
Perl has 616 recorded births among girls since 1929, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4374 as of the latest data, more common than 75% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1929 to 2025.
- #10,381 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #4,374 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 616 born since 1929
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Perl ranks #10,381 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,374 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 616 born since 1929, peaking in the 2010s.
- #10,381 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,374 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 616
- born since 1929
- 2010s
- peak decade
Perl's 616 recorded births place it above 85.64% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 1 jurisdictions, led by New York.
How Perl compares
616 Top 41% higher than 59% 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
Perl's all-time total is 64% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Perl | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 616 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 35 | 21 | 19,840 |
Perl's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Perl's full recorded timeline at 2006, 72% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 28% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1929, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2023 peak of 35 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Perl popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1929–2025
- Peak year (2023)
- 35
- Annual births at peak, across 97 years of records
Perl popularity over time - boys
85 total births recorded since 1883 (Perl as boys' name)
Perl by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (216 births, 35% of the file).
2010s was Perl's strongest decade.
216 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 35% of all-time use.
Perl births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 5
1920s
5 births
- 1960s 5
1960s
5 births
- 1970s 11
1970s
11 births
- 1980s 23
1980s
23 births
- 1990s 50
1990s
50 births
- 2000s
2000s
140 births
- 2010s
2010s
216 births
- 2020s
2020s
166 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 216 births (35% of all-time use).
How Perl 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 Perl's total volume
Perl by state
Where Perl concentrates geographically, total births since 1929
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 385 | 62.5% |
385 of 616 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Perl? ▼
Where does Perl sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Perl most popular? ▼
Where is Perl most popular? ▼
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What to do with Perl's data
- Perl's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (216 total births) through the 2020s (166) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Perls (385 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 Perl
Nearby Names Like Perl
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Perl
Compare Perl side by side: Perl vs Perla Perl vs Persephone Perl vs Perry
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Perl
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Perl: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2023)
Similar record span (~96 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, 1929–2025 (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 Perl 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.