Pearlena
A feminine name with Latin origins meaning "little pearl".
Name Census estimates that about 78 living Americans carry the first name Pearlena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pearlena today is around 78 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pearlena births was 1937 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pearlena. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Pearlena is about 78 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Pearlenas were born before 1958.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Pearlena. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
78
~ 1 in 4,394,286 Americans
Peak year
1937
16 babies that year
Average age
78
years old
1966 SSA rank
#7,327
Tracked since 1905
Popularity
Pearlena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pearlena from the 1900s through to the 1960s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 88 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pearlena 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 Pearlena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pearlenas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama recorded the most babies named Pearlena, while Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Pearlena
The name Pearlena is believed to have originated as a combination of the English words "pearl" and "lena." The word "pearl" comes from the Old French "perle," which in turn derives from the Latin "perna" meaning "leg" due to the shape resembling a leg. The suffix "-lena" is likely derived from the Greek name "Helena," meaning "bright" or "shining one."
Pearlena is a relatively modern name, with no known historical references or appearances in ancient texts or religious scriptures. The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the late 19th century in certain regions of the United States, particularly in the southern states.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Pearlena was Pearlena Sanderson (1892-1967), an American educator and civil rights activist from Mississippi. She was a prominent figure in the fight for equal education and desegregation of schools in the Jim Crow era South.
Another notable Pearlena was Pearlena Ignico (1910-1995), an Italian-American opera singer and soprano. She performed with several renowned opera companies in the mid-20th century, including the Metropolitan Opera and the San Francisco Opera.
In the field of literature, Pearlena Carrington (1923-2011) was a British-born Mexican novelist, painter, and sculptor. She was a leading figure in the Surrealist movement and is known for her influential works exploring themes of the subconscious and the occult.
Pearlena Alwin (1935-2018) was a Canadian politician and activist who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and worked to promote gender equality in her province.
Lastly, Pearlena Byers (1947-present) is an American television producer and executive. She has worked on numerous popular shows, including "Girlfriends," "The Game," and "Greenleaf." Byers has been recognized for her contributions to promoting diversity and representation in the entertainment industry.
People
Pearlena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pearlena 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
Pearlena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pearlena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 78 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pearlena 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 4,394,286 US residents.
Is Pearlena a common name?
We classify Pearlena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 335 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pearlena most popular?
The single biggest year for Pearlena was 1937, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pearlena is about 78 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pearlena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pearlena 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.
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.