Pearl is a distinctive choice, ranked #238 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Pearl in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#238
US Rank #802
About the Name Pearl
Pearl is steadily gaining in popularity, up 33 places over the past five years. Its best recorded rank was #218 in 2019, and it currently sits at #238. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Pearl is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
In the US it sits at #802 — notably more popular in the UK than across the Atlantic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Pearl
Unlikely. With around 203 UK babies named Pearl per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Pearl in her class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Pearl is currently rising in popularity in the UK, up 33 places over the last five years to #238 in 2024. If this trend continues, it will become more common in classrooms over the next decade.
Pearl is more popular in the UK (#238) than in the US (#802). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Pearl include: Jemina Pearl — Jemina Pearl Abegg is an American singer and the frontwoman of Be Your Own Pet, a punk rock band she started when she was 16.; Steven Pearl — Steven Richard Pearl is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head men's basketball coach at Auburn.; Mary Tudor pearl — The Mary Tudor pearl or simply The Tudor pearl is an asymmetrical drop-shaped pearl featured in at least three portraits of Queen Mary I of England and....
Pearl ranks #802 in the US top 1,000 (2024). It's recognised in America but considerably more popular in the UK.
203
UK babies named Pearl (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.1
In a school of 600
↑ 33 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Pearl
Likely around 1 other Pearl in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2024)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Pearl
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Daniel Pearl was an American journalist who worked for The Wall Street Journal. On January 23, 2002, he was kidnapped by jihadist militants while he was on his way to what he had expected would be an interview with Pakistani Islamic scholar Mubarak Ali Gilani in Karachi, Pakistan.
The Mary Tudor pearl or simply The Tudor pearl is an asymmetrical drop-shaped pearl featured in at least three portraits of Queen Mary I of England and estimated to be 64.5 carats, 258 grains in weight and dated to 1526. It is often mistakenly depicted as the La Peregrina pearl, however, Mary Tudor could never have worn the Peregrina as it was first recorded in 1579, 21 years after her death.