Pearl (given name)
The name Pearl is taken from the gemstone, like the earring worn by the girl in the portrait The Girl with a Pearl Earring by Jan Vermeer. | |
| Pronunciation | purl |
|---|---|
| Gender | unisex |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | English |
| Meaning | "pearl" |
| Region of origin | English |
Pearl is a unisex given name derived from the English word pearl, a hard, roundish object produced within the soft tissue of a living, shelled mollusk. Pearls are commonly used in jewelry-making. The name has a history of usage among Jews. Pearl is used as an Anglicization of the Yiddish name Perle. Pearl is also a common Jewish surname. Usage of the name for girls may also have been inspired by the name Margaret, which means "pearl". Pearl came into wider popular use in the Anglosphere along with other gemstone names used for girls during the late Victorian Era.