The Pearl surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,570 people carried this name — #4,687 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 38,900 people counted. That is up 2% from 7,435 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Pearl surname

As a surname in the United Kingdom

Harrison classes it as an Anglo-French and Latin name: ‘a name from the Jewel’.

An early record he cites: Thomas Perle, Close Rolls, A.D. 1343.

From Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. II (London: The Morland Press, 1918), p. 65 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

21 families named Pearl, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 121 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Connecticut 8
New Hampshire 7
Vermont 4
Maine 1
North Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 256 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Pearl in American newspapers,
1912–1922.

Newspaper page from The Republican Journal carrying the name Pearl
The Republican Journal 1912-10-31
Newspaper page from Mexico Weekly Ledger carrying the name Pearl
Mexico Weekly Ledger 1922-04-13
Newspaper page from The Beatrice Daily Express carrying the name Pearl
The Beatrice Daily Express 1917-12-20

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,336 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Pearl in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

62,907 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Pearl. The most, 12,757, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 22,785
Victoria 12,524
Queensland 10,429
South Australia 6,133
Western Australia 5,797
Tasmania 4,614
ACT (Canberra) 363
Northern Territory 62

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Pearl.

Who carried it

People named Pearl,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Edward Pearl
    Edward Pearl 1825–1892 · politician
  • Raymond Pearl
    Raymond Pearl 1879–1940 · zoologist
  • Elisha Pearl 1819–1896 · politician
  • Perry Diamond Pearl 1824– · politician
  • Cora Pearl 1835–1886 · actor
  • Cora Pearl 1835–1886 · actor

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Pearl,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,235 records

1,235 records of the Pearl name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 513
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 296
  • Other U.S. records 426
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record George G. Pearl

    Born 1917 in Alabama. Enlisted 1942 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi; cook from Mobile County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1962, buried at Mobile National Cemetery, Alabama.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Margaret Pearl

    Arrived at New Orleans in 1847 aboard the Sea Lion from Liverpool, aged 19; milliner. From Ireland; bound for New Orleans.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Raymond Pearl

    Born 1933; from Muskogee, Oklahoma. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1966 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,235 records for Pearl in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia290 records

290 records of the Pearl name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 177
  • Tasmanian Names Index 65
  • Other Australian records 48
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James Pearl

    Died 1910 in Bourke St, Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1910.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Pearl

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Elphinstone, arriving 1838; certificate of freedom 1846.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Lucy Pearl

    Arrived in Victoria in 1857 aboard the True Briton, aged 6; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 290 records for Pearl in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada196 records

196 records of the Pearl name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 192
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • Other Canadian records 2
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Daisy Virtue Pearl

    Died 1970 in Middleton, Annapolis, Nova Scotia, aged 84.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Herman Pearl

    Died 1923; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Jack Verner Pearl

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 196 records for Pearl in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom5 records

5 records of the Pearl name in the United Kingdom
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 3
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Pearl

    Buried in 1800 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 63.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Pearl

    Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Pearl

    Buried in 1851 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 51.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 5 records for Pearl in the United Kingdom.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands4 records

4 records of the Pearl name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Saartje Wolff Pearl

    Died 1837 in Utrecht, aged 76.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Beaumont Pearl

    Buried in 1792 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Elize Pearl

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1819 in Londen.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Pearl in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France3 records

3 records of the Pearl name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Barney Pearl

    Born 1927 in Ireland; died 2000 in Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Frederique Marielle Pearl

    Born 1964 in Drancy (Seine-Saint-Denis); died 1996 in La Tremblade (Charente-Maritime).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Maurice Georges Pearl

    Born 1931 in Levallois-Perret (Hauts-de-Seine); died 1990 in Aubervilliers (Seine-Saint-Denis).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Pearl.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Pearl is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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