Perel
Pearl of Hebrew origin, signifying a precious gem.
Name Census estimates that about 836 living Americans carry the first name Perel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Perel today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Perel births was 2024 (52 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Perel. 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.
People living today
836
~ 1 in 409,993 Americans
Peak year
2024
52 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,101
Tracked since 1984
Popularity
Perel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Perel from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 299 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Perel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Perel 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 Perel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Perels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Perel
The given name Perel is derived from the Yiddish language, which is a dialect of German spoken by Ashkenazi Jewish communities in Central and Eastern Europe. It is believed to have originated in the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th century.
The name Perel is a variation of the Hebrew name Perla, which means "pearl" in English. The name is likely derived from the Latin word "perla," which also means "pearl." Pearls have long been associated with beauty, purity, and wealth in various cultures, and the name may have been chosen to reflect these qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Perel can be found in the 16th century, when it appears in the records of the Jewish community in Prague, which was a significant center of Jewish culture and learning during that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Perel. One example is Perel Wilner (1890-1976), a Yiddish writer and educator from Ukraine who played a significant role in promoting Yiddish culture and literature.
Another notable figure was Perel Schulzer (1870-1942), a Polish-Jewish writer and activist who advocated for women's rights and was a prominent figure in the Bundist movement, a Jewish socialist organization.
In the 20th century, Perel Nahmias (1925-2010) was a renowned Sephardic Jewish singer and musician from Greece who helped preserve and promote the rich musical traditions of the Sephardic Jewish community.
Additionally, Perel Pinski (1860-1934) was a prominent Yiddish author and playwright from Belarus who made significant contributions to the development of modern Yiddish literature.
Finally, Perel Wilenska (1918-2018) was a Polish-Jewish writer and Holocaust survivor who documented her experiences during World War II and the Holocaust in her memoirs and literary works.
These individuals represent just a few examples of the many notable figures throughout history who have borne the name Perel, showcasing its rich cultural and historical significance within the Jewish community.
People
Perel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Perel 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
Perel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Perel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 836 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Perel 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 409,993 US residents.
Is Perel a common name?
We classify Perel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 846 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Perel most popular?
The single biggest year for Perel was 2024, when 52 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Perel is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Perel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Perel 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.