Perlina
A feminine name with Italian origins, meaning "little pearl".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Perlina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Perlina today is around 84 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Perlina births was 1920 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Perlina. 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 Perlina is about 84 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Perlinas were born before 1952.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Perlina. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1920
7 babies that year
Average age
84
years old
1943 SSA rank
#5,205
Tracked since 1892
Census
Perlina in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 117 people with the first name Perlina, which placed it at #50,838 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
#50,838
National first-name rank
People counted
117
117 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
26.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Perlina
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Perlina is White at 26.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (23.9%). 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 Perlina 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 Perlina at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White26.5% · 31
- Black or African American24.8% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander23.9% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino20.5% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Popularity
Perlina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Perlina from the 1890s through to the 1940s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 13 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Perlina remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Perlina 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 Perlina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Perlina
The name Perlina is of Italian origin, derived from the Italian word "perla," which means "pearl." It is a feminine name that first emerged during the Renaissance period in Italy, around the 15th and 16th centuries.
Perlina is believed to have been initially used as a nickname or a term of endearment, referring to a woman whose beauty and radiance were likened to that of a precious pearl. The name's association with pearls, which were highly valued and symbolic of purity and elegance, likely contributed to its popularity among Italian noble families and the upper classes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Perlina can be found in the works of Italian Renaissance poet and playwright, Pietro Aretino (1492-1556). In his writings, he mentions a character named Perlina, suggesting that the name was in use during his lifetime.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Perlina. One such figure was Perlina Clementi (1634-1698), an Italian painter and engraver from the Baroque period, known for her religious and mythological works. Another was Perlina Masini (1817-1897), an Italian actress and writer, who performed in various theaters across Italy during the 19th century.
In the world of literature, Perlina Krespi (1902-1987) was an Italian writer and poet, celebrated for her lyrical works and contributions to the literary scene of the 20th century. Perlina Marioni (1924-2012), on the other hand, was a renowned Italian opera singer and voice teacher, who graced stages across Europe and the United States.
One of the most recent historical figures to bear the name Perlina was Perlina Lotti (1915-2008), an Italian resistance fighter during World War II. She actively participated in the anti-fascist movement and played a crucial role in the liberation of Italy, earning her recognition and numerous honors for her bravery and patriotism.
While the name Perlina may have waned in popularity in recent times, it remains a cherished and evocative name, deeply rooted in Italian culture and history, evoking images of beauty, grace, and resilience.
People
Perlina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Perlina 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
Perlina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Perlina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Perlina 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Perlina a common name?
We classify Perlina as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 38 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Perlina most popular?
The single biggest year for Perlina was 1920, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Perlina is about 84 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Perlina in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 117 people with the name Perlina, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #50,838 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 Perlina 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 Perlina?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Perlina leans strongly female. 116 people counted with this name were female (97.5%), compared with 3 male bearers (2.5%). 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 Perlina?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Perlina is White at 26.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (23.9%). 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 Perlina most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Perlina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 26.5% (31 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 Perlina in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Perlina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Perlina 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 Perlina still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Perlina 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 Perlina 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 Perlina as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Perlina, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.