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.

#18,824 of 45,481
all-time among boys
81
born since 1884
1920s
peak 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.

  • #18,824 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 81 born since 1884
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Purl ranks #18,824 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 81 born since 1884, peaking in the 1920s.

#18,824 of 45,481
all-time among boys
81
born since 1884
1920s
peak decade
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Purl's 81 recorded births place it above 58.57% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.

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 popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1884–1929

Last recorded 1929
Peak year (1925)
10
Annual births at peak, across 46 years of records
4681012 1884188619141917192119241929 6

Purl by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (35 births, 43% of the file).

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

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 35 births (43% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

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 archive ordinal is #18,824 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Its last appearance in the data was 1929. 10 babies were born in 1925, its single highest year.
Where does Purl sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Purl ranks #18,824 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
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
#5200 68 births
Purav Boy
61 births

Compare Purl side by side: Purl vs Purvis Purl vs Purnell Purl vs Purcell

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Fines
81 births · Peak 1915
Lonzy
81 births · Peak 1925
Cola
81 births · Peak 1920
Langford
81 births · Peak 1943
Watts #10781
81 births · Peak 2023
Talley
81 births · Peak 1919
Freman
81 births · Peak 1931
Compton
81 births · Peak 1992

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Purl: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1884–1929 (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 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 August 2026.