Pearl ranks at #282 with 399 entries, and it sits in the gemstone-name cluster that has reshaped female pet naming alongside botanicals over the last decade. One syllable, soft consonants, and a vintage-grandma register that feels modern when applied to a pet.
The gemstone-name wave
Pearl clusters with Ruby, Opal, and Jade in the gemstone-as-female-name register. These names share a slightly old-fashioned warmth that has come back into fashion as part of the broader vintage-revival movement on baby charts. Pearl is the softest of the cluster — the gem itself is softer than the others, and the name carries the same texture.
Sound and breed fit
The single-syllable shape (PURL) is gentle on both ends, which limits projection but reads beautifully indoors and on softer-coated breeds. Pearl lands on white and cream-colored pets at higher rates: white Persians, white Maltese, cream Cocker Spaniels, and small white mixed breeds in particular. The visual rhyme between the name and the coat is doing real work.
The Steven Universe counter-reading
One reading worth flagging: Pearl from Steven Universe (2013-2019) gave the name a separate younger-generation pull, particularly among LGBTQ+ owners who connected with the show's themes. That reading is rarely the primary motivation but does pull a specific younger owner cluster. The Pearl baby name page shows the name climbing on the SSA chart since around 2010.