How Many People Are Named Purl?
An estimated 2 people in the United States have the first name Purl. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 106 years old, and Purl peaked in popularity in 1925 with 10 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Purl 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 Purl paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- With an average bearer age of 106, Purl is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1930.
- Purl is exceptionally rare. Fewer than 100 people with this name are estimated to be alive in the U.S. today.
Estimated Living Americans
2
About 1 in 171,377,169 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
100.0% confidence
Average Age
106
years old
Peak Year
1925
10 births
Total Registered
81
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Purl
Purl is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 81 total births registered, 100.0% were male.
Purl as a male name
Ranked #3,862 in 1929
6 male births in 1929
Peak: 1925 (10 births)
Purl: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Purl span from the 1880s to the 1920s, covering 4 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 35 babies were registered. Purl remains highly popular today, with recent registration numbers near its historical peak.
Purl by Decade
How has Purl 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.
Purl + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Purl as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Purl
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
Purl: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Purl?
We estimate approximately 2 people named Purl 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 171,377,169 Americans share this first name.
Is Purl a common name?
Purl is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 4.3% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 81 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Purl most popular?
Purl reached peak popularity in 1925, when 10 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Purl is approximately 106 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Purl a male name?
Purl is predominantly male. 100.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Purl Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Purl Smith, Purl Johnson, Purl 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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