Show ContentsPearl History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Pearl family

The surname Pearl was first found in Oxfordshire at Oseney, where in year 1259 Henry and Reginald Perle were listed as holding lands at that time. The name is derived from the Middle English and Old French word "perle," meaning "pearl," one who sells pearls. 1

Thomas Perle was found in the Close Rolls of 1343. 2 3 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included a listing for Egidias and Richard Perles, but no counties were listed.

And one source postulates that the name could be Norman French as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae records John and Tustin Peril or Perol in Normandy in 1198. 4

Early History of the Pearl family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pearl research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1316, 1388, 1394, 1402, 1406, 1422, 1423, 1428, 1455, 1487, 1808, 1842, 1845, 1856, 1858 and 1886 are included under the topic Early Pearl History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pearl Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Perle, Pearl, Pearle, Pear, Parl, Perl, Purl, Purle, Pearlman, Perlman and many more.

Early Notables of the Pearl family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Cora Pearl (1842-1886), the English courtesan assumed the name Pearl. She was born Emma Elizabeth Crouch at Caroline Place, East Stonehouse, Devonshire, on 23 Feb. 1842. "She was the daughter of Frede...

Pearl Ranking

In the United States, the name Pearl is the 4,846th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5


Pearl migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Pearl Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • William Pearl, English convict from Suffolk, who was transported aboard the "Agincourt" on July 6, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
  • John Pearl, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asia" in 1851 7
  • Lucy Pearl, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Mallard" 8

Pearl migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Pearl Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Blanche Pearl, (b. 1867), aged 10 months, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd January 1868 9
  • Mr. Walter J. Pearl, (b. 1837), aged 30, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd January 1868 9
  • Mrs. Ellen Pearl, (b. 1838), aged 29, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd January 1868 9
  • Mr. Walter Pearl, (b. 1863), aged 4, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd January 1868 9
  • Mr. Frederick Pearl, (b. 1864), aged 3, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd January 1868 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Pearl (post 1700) +

  • Minnie Pearl (1912-1996), stage name of Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon, an American country comedienne who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years and on the television show Hee Haw from 1969 to 1991
  • William Arnold "Bill" Pearl (1930-2022), American professional bodybuilder and athlete, five-time Mr. Universe, "World's Best-Built Man of the Century"
  • Matthew Pearl, American novelist and educator
  • Jack Pearl (1894-1982), American vaudeville performer and a star of early radio
  • Nancy Pearl (b. 1945), American librarian, best-selling author and literary critic
  • Raymond Pearl (1879-1940), American biologist
  • Bruce Dean-Fredrick Pearl (b. 1960), American college basketball coach
  • Daniel Pearl (1963-2002), American journalist
  • Judea Pearl (b. 1936), Israeli American computer scientist and philosopher
  • Edward Pearl, American politician, First Selectman of Mansfield, Connecticut, 1904 10
  • ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Lusitania
  • Master Stuart Duncan Day Pearl, American 1st Class Passenger from New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 13 11
  • Miss Audrey Warren Pearl, American 1st Class Passenger from New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 13 11
  • Surgeon-Major Frederic "Frank Warren" Pearl, American 1st Class Passenger from New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking by escaping in a collapsible 11
  • Mrs. Amy Lea Pearl, American 1st Class Passenger from New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking by escaping on an overturned boat 11
  • Miss Susan Whitewright Pearl, American 1st Class Passenger from New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 11
  • ... (Another 1 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Triangle Waist Company
  • Miss Ida Pearl (b. 1891), Russian Jewish garment worker who was working at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she died in the fire 12
  • Miss Florence Pearl, Romanian Jewish worker who was at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she survived the fire by sliding down the elevator chute 12


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 24) Agincourt voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 226 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agincourt/1844
  7. State Library of South Australia. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) ASIA 1851 from London 12 05 1851 and southampton with Captain Roskell, arrived Port Adelaide on 1-09-1851. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Asia.htm
  8. South Australian Register Thursday 26th April 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Mallard 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/mallard1855.shtml
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  11. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
  12. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (retrieved on 3rd August 2021.) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire


Houseofnames.com on Facebook