Fun Facts About the Name Perley
- More than 1 thousand babies named Perley: U.S. records list 1,052 babies given the name Perley from 1880 through 2025. Even 32 girls received the name Perley - about 1 girl for every 32 boys.
What Does the Name Perley Mean?
Perley is chiefly an English family name that has also been used as a given name. The explanation most often given traces it to an Old English place name built from pirige, "pear tree," and leah, "wood" or "clearing," so the sense would be "pear-tree clearing" or "pear wood." That is a customary interpretation of the surname rather than a settled fact: no single English place has been firmly identified as its source, and some references treat the surname as a variant of the place names Purley and Pirley, whose own origins are disputed - those are sometimes derived instead from pur, a word for a marsh plant or a bird, or from an Old English personal name. Because of this, the pear-tree derivation should be understood as the usual explanation, not a certainty.
Perley is unrelated to Pearl or Pearly, which come from the word for the gemstone. A resemblance in sound is not evidence of a shared origin.
Perley Name History & Origins
Perley is recorded as an English surname, and like many English family names it was carried to colonial New England, where it took root especially in Massachusetts. In New England usage from the 18th century onward, Perley appears both as a surname and as a first or middle name, following the common custom of giving a child a parent's or grandparent's family name as a personal name. The name is also found in Canada, where families of New England origin settled.
Its use as a given name is therefore a transfer from the surname rather than a separate coinage, and its history as a first name belongs to the broader pattern of surname-names in the English-speaking world. Because the place that produced the surname has not been identified with confidence, its earlier geographic history remains unclear.
How Popular is the Name Perley?
Perley recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1915. Its best rank was #341 in 1881.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | #5,085 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1942 | #4,516 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1938 | #4,843 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1933 | #4,123 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1924 | #5,720 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1890 | #1,489 | 5 | 0.0026% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | #3,002 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1963 | #4,475 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1959 | #3,894 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #2,969 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #3,450 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #2,524 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1952 | #3,306 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1951 | #2,807 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1950 | #2,180 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1949 | #2,753 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1948 | #2,416 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1947 | #2,822 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1946 | #2,654 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1945 | #2,358 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1944 | #2,803 | 8 | 0.0006% |
| 1943 | #3,467 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1942 | #2,489 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1941 | #2,829 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1940 | #1,326 | 26 | 0.0022% |
| 1939 | #2,409 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1938 | #1,879 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1937 | #1,674 | 18 | 0.0017% |
| 1936 | #2,412 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1935 | #2,105 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1934 | #2,701 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1933 | #1,444 | 23 | 0.0023% |
| 1932 | #1,575 | 21 | 0.0020% |
| 1931 | #1,274 | 30 | 0.0029% |
| 1930 | #1,457 | 26 | 0.0024% |
| 1929 | #1,513 | 24 | 0.0022% |
| 1928 | #1,689 | 21 | 0.0019% |
| 1927 | #2,107 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1926 | #1,703 | 21 | 0.0019% |
| 1925 | #1,569 | 24 | 0.0022% |
| 1924 | #1,618 | 24 | 0.0021% |
| 1923 | #1,857 | 19 | 0.0017% |
| 1922 | #1,628 | 23 | 0.0021% |
| 1921 | #1,695 | 22 | 0.0020% |
| 1920 | #1,492 | 26 | 0.0024% |
| 1919 | #1,440 | 26 | 0.0027% |
| 1918 | #1,885 | 18 | 0.0018% |
| 1917 | #1,471 | 24 | 0.0026% |
| 1916 | #1,539 | 22 | 0.0025% |
| 1915 | #1,209 | 30 | 0.0035% |
| 1914 | #1,296 | 22 | 0.0034% |
| 1913 | #1,356 | 16 | 0.0031% |
| 1912 | #1,600 | 11 | 0.0026% |
| 1911 | #1,176 | 10 | 0.0044% |
| 1909 | #1,634 | 5 | 0.0030% |
| 1908 | #737 | 14 | 0.0091% |
| 1905 | #1,064 | 7 | 0.0053% |
| 1904 | #1,355 | 5 | 0.0039% |
| 1903 | #1,100 | 6 | 0.0050% |
| 1902 | #1,271 | 5 | 0.0041% |
| 1901 | #717 | 10 | 0.0094% |
| 1900 | #1,277 | 6 | 0.0040% |
| 1899 | #767 | 9 | 0.0085% |
| 1898 | #1,262 | 5 | 0.0041% |
| 1897 | #1,033 | 6 | 0.0053% |
| 1896 | #958 | 7 | 0.0059% |
| 1895 | #1,208 | 5 | 0.0043% |
| 1894 | #1,202 | 5 | 0.0043% |
| 1893 | #641 | 11 | 0.0098% |
| 1892 | #438 | 20 | 0.0164% |
| 1891 | #686 | 9 | 0.0089% |
| 1890 | #624 | 11 | 0.0099% |
| 1889 | #1,078 | 5 | 0.0045% |
| 1888 | #743 | 9 | 0.0074% |
| 1887 | #537 | 12 | 0.0118% |
| 1886 | #567 | 12 | 0.0108% |
| 1885 | #571 | 12 | 0.0111% |
| 1884 | #744 | 8 | 0.0070% |
| 1883 | #710 | 8 | 0.0076% |
| 1882 | #637 | 10 | 0.0088% |
| 1881 | #341 | 24 | 0.0238% |
| 1880 | #420 | 18 | 0.0163% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with P
How the Name Perley Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Perley's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Perley's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.