Pearline

Meaning of Pearline

Pearline is an English feminine name formed by attaching the French-derived suffix –ine to the classic virtue name Pearl, first surfacing in late nineteenth-century registers. Analytically, it exemplifies the early twentieth-century fashion for Latinate refinements of simple, jewel-inspired names, offering a quieter alternative to its monosyllabic root. In Persian poetic tradition, pearls often emerge from tears of the beloved or from the Simorgh’s own sorrow, lending Pearline an undercurrent of alchemical transformation—from grief into grace—that may appeal to those seeking hidden depth beneath a serene surface. Data from South Carolina newborns between 1910 and 1960 show Pearline’s modest yet steady presence—peaking at rank 76 in 1911 and lingering near the low 130s through mid-century—before gradually fading as naming fashions shifted. Its scarcity today can be seen not as a drawback but as a feature: ideal for parents who prefer a name with the quiet confidence of a hidden gem rather than the conspicuous sheen of a mainstream favorite.