Pearley
Feminine · “pearl”
Pearley is given to both — 673 girls and 178 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Pearley adds a surname ending to a gem name, which is an unusual combination, and the record holds it for sons as well as daughters. The word it starts with has two homophones in English and neither of them is a jewel.
How old is the name Pearley?
Pearley first appears in US birth records in 1885 — 140 years ago. The typical Pearley alive today was born around 1928, making them about 97 years old. About 200 people named Pearley are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Pearley most popular?
Pearley peaked in 1885, reaching #921 nationally. See the whole 1885 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From perla to Pearley
The story of Pearley
English has three words in this shape and only one of them is a gem. To purl, in knitting, is to work a stitch from the back so the loop faces the other way, and the word appears to come from a separate root about twisting — a purl was also a twisted thread of gold or silver used in embroidery. To purl, of a stream, means to flow with a murmuring swirl, and that one is probably imitative, from a Scandinavian source; it is the word in the line about a brook purling over stones. Pearl barley is named for the shape of the grains after polishing, which is the gem word doing honest metaphorical work. Three words, one sound, and a knitter and a poet mean completely different things by it.
Meaning
pearl, with a surname ending
The English word for the gem, from a Latin source whose own derivation is disputed, with the ending that closes hundreds of English place-based surnames. The combination is American and the ending is decorative rather than meaningful.
How the name formed
- perla
- Pearl
- Pearley
Pronouncing Pearley
PUR-lee
Two syllables with the stress at the front. The ea says the vowel of her, and the ending says a long e, both of which are entirely regular.
Nicknames for Pearley
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1885
- Most girls named
- 192623 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #921reached in 1885
- Change vs 1957
- −28.6%5 in 1958, from 7
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Pearleys among us
people named Pearley are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Pearley sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It works for a child of either sex, which the record confirms.
- The meaning is a real object and needs no explaining.
- Two syllables with front stress is easy and quick.
- Pearly, Perley and Pearlie are all recorded and will be written for it.
- It reads as a surname to modern ears, which the gem name alone does not.
- It belongs firmly to one generation of American records.
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What they receive
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Pearley
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Pearleys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Pearley are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Pearley in 2025?
- Pearley is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Pearley with classmates?
- Pearley will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More P names
The most-given names starting with P, all years combined.
Patricia#1334 · Pamela#2239 · Phyllis#11932 · Peggy#8362 · Paula#853 · Pauline#2957 · Pearl#776 · Paige#346
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Pearley? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Pearley and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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