Pearla
From the Latin word for "pearl", a precious gem.
Name Census estimates that about 450 living Americans carry the first name Pearla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pearla today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pearla births was 2006 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pearla. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Pearla with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
450
~ 1 in 761,676 Americans
Peak year
2006
25 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,807
Tracked since 1883
Census
Pearla in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 637 people with the first name Pearla, which placed it at #17,359 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#17,359
National first-name rank
People counted
637
637 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
66.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pearla
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pearla is Hispanic at 66.1%. The next largest groups are White (15.4%) and Black (10.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Pearla described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Pearla at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino66.1% · 421
- White15.4% · 98
- Black or African American10.4% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.4% · 41
- Two or more races1.1% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 4
Popularity
Pearla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pearla from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 134 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pearla by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Pearla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pearlas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Pearla
The name Pearla is derived from the English word "pearl," which has its roots in the Latin word "perna," meaning "leg" or "hinged shell." The pearl, a highly prized gemstone, was formed within the shell of certain mollusks and was therefore associated with the hinged shells from which it emerged.
The name Pearla likely gained popularity during the Middle Ages, a time when pearls were highly coveted and symbolized purity, innocence, and wealth. It was commonly used as a given name in English-speaking regions, particularly in Europe and North America.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pearla can be found in the 16th century, when Pearla Whetenhall, an English noblewoman, was mentioned in historical records from 1542. She was known for her philanthropic efforts and her support of the poor in her community.
In the 17th century, Pearla van der Merwe, a Dutch settler in South Africa, was born in 1678. She played a significant role in the establishment of the Cape Colony and is remembered for her contributions to the development of the region.
Another notable figure bearing the name Pearla was Pearla Parker Pratt, an American suffragist and women's rights activist born in 1838. She was a prominent advocate for women's suffrage and worked tirelessly to secure the right to vote for women in the United States.
In the 19th century, Pearla Hicks, an American artist and painter, was born in 1865. She was known for her vivid and colorful landscapes, and her works are displayed in several art galleries across the United States.
Lastly, Pearla Negri, an Italian opera singer, was born in 1892. She gained international acclaim for her performances in various operas, particularly those composed by Verdi and Puccini, and is considered one of the most renowned sopranos of her time.
While the name Pearla may not be as common today as it once was, it remains a beautiful and unique name with a rich historical background, reflecting the value and beauty associated with pearls throughout the centuries.
People
Pearla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pearla as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Pearla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pearla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 450 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pearla going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 761,676 US residents.
Is Pearla a common name?
We classify Pearla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 552 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pearla most popular?
The single biggest year for Pearla was 2006, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pearla is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Pearla in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 637 people with the name Pearla, or 0.21 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,359 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Pearla in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Pearla?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Pearla appears almost entirely female. Of the 637 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Pearla?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pearla is Hispanic at 66.1%. The next largest groups are White (15.4%) and Black (10.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Pearla most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Pearla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (421 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Pearla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Pearla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pearla in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Pearla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Pearla in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Pearla can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Pearla?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Pearla, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.