A perpendicular magnetic recording head includes an auxiliary magnetic pole layer exposed at a surface facing a recording medium, a main magnetic pole layer deposited on the auxiliary magnetic pole layer with an insulating layer therebetween, a coil layer for applying a recording magnetic field to the auxiliary magnetic pole layer and the main magnetic pole layer, and a connecting layer placed on the auxiliary magnetic pole layer toward the back from the surface facing the recording medium. At the surface facing the recording medium, the upper base of the main magnetic pole layer is wider than the lower base so that the width in the track width direction of the main magnetic pole layer gradually increases with distance from the auxiliary magnetic pole layer. A method for making such a perpendicular magnetic recording head is also disclosed.