Pearl
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel, The Scarlet Letter, protagonist Hester Pyrne had an illegitimate child. Nineteenth-century readers would expect her name to be Ada or Harriet. Instead, Pyrne, describing her child as "her mother's only treasure," named her after the pearl gemstone.
People have described the gemstone, which formed in mollusk shells, as precious since the Middle Ages. Hence, it is not surprising that Hester Pyrne referred to Pearl as her "only treasure". Perhaps it was about time Pearl become a given name; the Victorian Era saw other natural words like Hazel, Ivy, and Opal associate with specific women.
From 1880 through the first half of the 1920s, Pearl was a top 100 hit. It was also popular in Canada and Australia at the time. Nonetheless, Pearl only ranked in the top 50 in the United States, where Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter. However, that does not make Pearl literary. A literary name would have to be memorable among readers throughout history; the name of an illegitimate child would not be as famous as the main character's name.
By the time Pearl left the top 100, the craze for girls' nature names was over. Fellow gemstone names such as Opal and Ruby also fell in use around the time. The same happened to Hazel, Olive, and Violet. As with most of these old-fashioned nature names, Pearl sounded dated. It was out of the top 1000 by the 1990s and would stay out for over a decade.
In the late 2000s, however, everything changed. Parents were rediscovering timeless classics like Lucy and Alice, along with vintage choices like Stella and Violet. Complete single-syllable names like Claire and Grace also shined. Thus, it was about time for Pearl to come back. Since 2009, Pearl has been back on the charts.
Unfortunately, Pearl has not risen significantly in years. Since 2017, it has consistently declined from the 500s. That's probably because today's parents grew up watching Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants, which featured a whale with the name. Since it's Pearl's time to come back anyway, parents should try to think of more positive associations like author Pearl S. Buck, who wrote novels like The Good Earth along with Pearl Starr, the daughter of American outlaw Belle Starr.
Issues aside, Pearl is sure to make a comeback if similar nature names like Hazel and Ruby are back in the top 100.
NICKNAMES:
Pearlie
VARIANTS:
Pearline, Perla
STYLES:
SISTERS:
Bess, Daisy, Flora, Hattie, Lula, Mae, Olive, Reba
BROTHERS:
Archie, Clyde, Ira, Mack, Otis, Pete, Roscoe, Wiley
ALTERNATIVES:
Belle, Coral, Fern, Jewel, Nell, Peridot, Primrose, Prue
FURTHER RESOURCES:
"Pearl." Names, Behind the Name, 5 Apr, 2022, https://www.behindthename.com/name/pearl.
"Pearl." Names, Nameberry, 2023, https://nameberry.com/babyname/pearl.
What do you think about Pearl? Do you think it will resume or continue to delay its revival?
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