Pearl is an English gem name from the Middle English perle and means "pearl", the lustrous jewel that is the birthstone of June and an old symbol of purity. Pearl S. Buck, the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and the singer Pearl Bailey are its best-known bearers, and it was a top 30 name around 1900. Pearl returned to the US top 1000 in 2009, peaked at number 567 in 2016 and ranks number 777 in 2025.