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Pearlene
How to Pronounce Pearlene
Pronounced PUR-leen /ˈpɜːr.liːn/Medium
Meaning: Pearlene is an elaboration of the jewel name Pearl, lengthened with the fashionable -ene ending of names like Charlene and Darlene. Pearl itself names the lustrous gem, from Latin roots for the shell-borne pearl. Pearlene reads as a mid-century Southern flourish on a classic gem name.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Pearlene is an elaboration of Pearl, the gemstone name, extended with the -ene ending that was so popular in the mid-20th-century South. The pearl, formed inside an oyster, has long symbolized purity. Pearlene carries that jewel meaning in a longer, more ornamented shape.
Pearlene crested around 1938, in the heyday of -ene names, and faded by the 1970s. A woman given it at its peak would be in her eighties now. It never revived, sitting among the mid-century -ene names that now sound firmly of their time.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Pearlene mean?
Pearlene is an elaboration of Pearl, the gemstone name, with the -ene ending.
How do you pronounce Pearlene?
It's said PUR-leen /ˈpɜːr.liːn/ — two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Pearlene a boy or girl name?
Pearlene is used as a girl's name, an elaboration of Pearl.
How popular is Pearlene?
Pearlene was an uncommon choice that crested in the late nineteen-thirties among -ene names and faded by the nineteen-seventies.