How Many People Are Named Perl?
An estimated 572 people in the United States have the first name Perl. It is used for both genders, with 87.3% female. The average bearer is 16 years old, and Perl peaked in popularity in 2023 with 35 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Perl as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Perl paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Perl has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
Estimated Living Americans
572
About 1 in 599,221 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
87.3% confidence
Average Age
16
years old
Peak Year
2023
35 births
Total Registered
668
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Perl
Perl is predominantly female (87.3%), though 85 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Perl as a male name
Ranked #4,195 in 1931
5 male births in 1931
Peak: 1924 (9 births)
Perl as a female name
Ranked #5,549 in 2024
23 female births in 2024
Peak: 2023 (35 births)
Perl: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Perl span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 12 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 216 babies were registered. While Perl is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Perl by Decade
How has Perl tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Perl by State
Perl + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Perl as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Perl
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
Perl: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Perl?
We estimate approximately 572 people named Perl are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 599,221 Americans share this first name.
Is Perl a common name?
Perl is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 85.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 668 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Perl most popular?
Perl reached peak popularity in 2023, when 35 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Perl is approximately 16 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Perl a female name?
Perl is predominantly female. 87.3% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Perl Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Perl Smith, Perl Johnson, Perl Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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