Total births
81
Boys' name · since 1884
Purl
Purl has 81 recorded births since 1884 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1925 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- 81
- total births
- 1884–1929
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 43%
- born in that decade
81 boys have been named Purl since 1884, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Purl has been recorded 81 times among boys since 1884, though it is not among the currently most-used boys names, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1884 to 1929.
- 81 total births
- 1884–1929 years on record
- 1920s peak decade
- 43% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
81 boys have been named Purl since 1884, peaking in the 1920s, last recorded in 1929.
- 81
- total births
- 1884–1929
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 43%
- born in that decade
1920s
Peak decade
43% of everyone ever named Purl was born in this single decade.
1925
Single peak year
10 babies were named Purl in 1925 - its busiest year on record.
Purl's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Purl's full recorded timeline at 1917, 57% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 43% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1886, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1925 peak of 10 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Purl at a glance
Last recorded 1929Peak year
1925
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1884
Purl popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1884–1929
- Peak year (1925)
- 10
- Annual births at peak, across 46 years of records
Purl by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Purl's strongest decade.
35 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 43% of all-time use.
Purl births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
18 births
- 1890s 5
1890s
5 births
- 1910s
1910s
23 births
- 1920s
1920s
35 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 35 births (43% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Purl? ▼
Purl has been given to 81 babies in the U.S. since 1884, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 1929. 10 babies were born in 1925, its single highest year.
When was Purl most popular? ▼
Purl was most popular in the 1920s decade with 35 total births. The single peak year was 1925.
How long has the name Purl been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Purl since 1884 -- 46 years through the most recent 1929 data.
What names are similar to Purl? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Purvis, Purnell, Purcell, Purpose, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
Keep exploring Purl
Nearby Names Like Purl
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Purl
Purvis Boy
969 births
Purnell Boy
762 births
Purcell Boy
454 births
Purpose Boy
#12051 68 births
Purav Boy
61 births
Compare Purl side by side: Purl vs Purvis Purl vs Purnell Purl vs Purcell
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1884–1929 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Purl: Baby Name Since 1884 - 81 Births, Peak 1925." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/purl. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Purl 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 June 2026.