Perla is the Spanish and Italian word for "pearl", from the Latin perna, and is the counterpart of the English name Pearl. It has long been a favorite among Mexican American families, where it sits alongside gem names like Esmeralda. Perla peaked in the United States at number 282 in 2003, left the top 1000 at the end of the 2010s and has fallen to number 1590 in 2025.