Given name & surname
Perla
“an important woman”
Perla is used as a given name and a surname. One Latin interpretation is “an important woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Latin interpretation is “an important woman.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1918. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Perla through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 20,836
- 30 boys · 20,806 girls
- Most popular year
- 2003
- 1,109 babies
- 2025
- 132
- #1,590 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −40%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 132 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,590 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 39.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,109 in 2003. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (33). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 27,662 as a first name in 2020; 2,717 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Perla’s family of names
Perla has an affectionate form in Perlita. Perla shares a linguistic root with Pearl. Perla has a related form in Perlah.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Perla
- Perla Haney-JardineBrazilian-American actressborn 1997
- Perla CristalArgentine actressborn 1937
- Perla SuezArgentinian writerborn 1947
- Perla BatallaAmerican singerborn 1950
- Perla LiberatoriItalian voice actressborn 1981
- Perla Santos-OcampoFilipino scientist (1931–2012)
- Perla FaríasVenezuelan directorborn 2000
- Perla AguiarCuban actress1932–2015
- Perla BautistaFilipino actressborn 1940
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Perla, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Paulina
“a petite woman”
>99% girls
Priscila
Priscila is a feminine given name. It is used in Portuguese.
>99% girls
Serena
“having a peaceful disposition”
>99% girls
Carolina
“a joyous song; a small, strong woman”
>99% girls
Stefania
“crowned in victory”
>99% girls
Cadence
“rhythmic and melodious; a musical woman” · “rhythmic and melodious; a musical man”
16% boys · 84% girls
Lilyan
“resembling the lily”
>99% girls
Natali
In German use, Natali is a variant of Natalie. One Latin interpretation is “born on Christmas Day; refers to Christ's birthday.”
>99% girls