Paul

Last seen for girls in 2006 at #15,152 · #262 for boys in 2025, 1,316 births
Given to boys 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1930 · 12,955 births
Debut · boys
301 births
In top 100 · boys
121 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
1,398,293
since 1880

Paul over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201913peak #12, 1930boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025—#2621,316
2024—#2621,330
2023—#2561,359
2022—#2621,334
2021—#2571,385
2020—#2521,401
2019—#2451,513
2018—#2341,635
2017—#2251,699
2016—#2061,941
2015—#1992,032
2014—#2012,007
2013—#1982,038
2012—#1901,958
2011—#1862,078
2010—#1772,129
2009—#1602,428
2008—#1542,555
2007—#1472,771
2006#15,1526#1323,037
2005#16,4625#1303,145
2004#10,6909#1273,191
2003#12,4087#1233,256
2002—#1183,263
2001#12,0567#1093,523
2000#9,8749#1003,795
1999#12,6886#944,020
1998#8,01611#894,321
1997#6,48314#794,752
1996#6,72313#784,883
1995#7,04112#715,414
1994#8,12210#645,798
1993#8,7199#566,481
1992#6,00815#557,003
1991#4,05925#537,680
1990#3,43631#498,579
1989#2,61843#499,029
1988#1,67177#469,438
1987#1,81264#469,707
1986#1,71768#459,715
1985#1,60474#4210,315
1984#1,43281#4010,460
1983#1,40084#3910,828
1982#1,62171#3511,310
1981#1,56875#3511,776
1980#1,62471#3511,819
1979#1,55574#3411,630
1978#1,47377#3311,733
1977#1,45176#3111,798
1976#1,38477#2811,781
1975#1,36578#2912,017
1974#1,16198#2712,310
1973#1,31277#2412,901
1972#1,39471#2414,555
1971#1,19495#2417,469
1970#1,21292#2320,196
1969#975121#2220,690
1968#958116#1921,865
1967#1,13387#1822,821
1966#1,06397#1823,578
1965#1,09791#1624,919
1964#1,11996#1626,874
1963#1,23379#1726,672
1962#1,27875#1923,802
1961#1,29773#1825,640
1960#1,21281#1825,642
1959#1,23075#1725,712
1958#1,20378#1526,264
1957#1,32264#1827,012
1956#1,24969#1726,897
1955#1,26164#1626,701
1954#1,42250#1626,220
1953#1,37350#1625,509
1952#1,22560#1924,292
1951#1,31450#1822,853
1950#1,24155#1821,742
1949#1,20157#1721,589
1948#1,15760#1821,252
1947#1,12763#1822,796
1946#1,04266#1821,063
1945#1,31237#1716,995
1944#1,17545#1716,661
1943#1,18147#1917,253
1942#1,15347#1916,492
1941#92463#1815,166
1940#97953#1714,097
1939#1,03947#1713,337
1938#1,23135#1513,360
1937#1,07044#1512,881
1936#94153#1512,307
1935#89659#1412,563
1934#89458#1412,196
1933#95751#1411,854
1932#75879#1312,066
1931#70291#1212,255
1930#646114#1212,955
1929#73191#1312,431
1928#634123#1313,160
1927#715102#1313,604
1926#77786#1313,653
1925#82881#1314,175
1924#84978#1413,338
1923#83876#1413,362
1922#80881#1412,922
1921#95560#1413,169
1920#83675#1412,570
1919#91759#1511,305
1918#85970#1411,755
1917#87962#1311,156
1916#96450#1210,790
1915#1,00044#1310,328
1914#88843#137,733
1913#96131#145,966
1912#97827#144,785
1911#1,17115#172,393
1910#1,6349#152,005
1909#1,15213#171,676
1908#1,4399#181,478
1907#1,09213#201,358
1906#1,4168#191,308
1905#1,6966#191,262
1904#1,3648#191,194
1903#1,3188#191,081
1902#97213#201,067
1901#1,4666#19924
1900#1,3199#191,288
1899#1,3946#21885
1898#1,1719#21991
1897#1,5555#20923
1896#1,4166#20964
1895#1,2028#20933
1894#1,4855#23824
1893#1,0918#25743
1892#1,4505#29747
1891—#31564
1890#1,3385#31607
1889—#35555
1888—#38529
1887—#40449
1886#9936#38466
1885#9216#43428
1884#1,0245#45422
1883—#48358
1882—#44397
1881—#55291
1880—#60301
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Paul was already there! It came in at #60, and was given to 301 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1885, when fewer than 430 boys a year got the name.

Where Paul is popular in 1913

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Paul, so not publishedAKMaine: #20 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 73 boysMEVermont: #14 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 45 boysVTNew Hampshire: #11 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 43 boysNHWashington: #21 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 80 boysWAIdaho: #19 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 67 boysIDMontana: #23 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 87 boysMTNorth Dakota: #13 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 59 boysNDMinnesota: #17 for boys · 114 births · 1 in 79 boysMNIllinois: #13 for boys · 381 births · 1 in 74 boysILWisconsin: #27 for boys · 86 births · 1 in 115 boysWIMichigan: #24 for boys · 117 births · 1 in 101 boysMINew York: #25 for boys · 454 births · 1 in 106 boysNYMassachusetts: #18 for boys · 217 births · 1 in 81 boysMARhode Island: #28 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 120 boysRIOregon: #24 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 76 boysORNevada: #8 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 20 boysNVWyoming: #13 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 39 boysWYSouth Dakota: #12 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 53 boysSDIowa: #11 for boys · 163 births · 1 in 56 boysIAIndiana: #7 for boys · 275 births · 1 in 39 boysINOhio: #8 for boys · 522 births · 1 in 42 boysOHPennsylvania: #11 for boys · 765 births · 1 in 55 boysPANew Jersey: #20 for boys · 154 births · 1 in 88 boysNJConnecticut: #21 for boys · 76 births · 1 in 80 boysCTCalifornia: #21 for boys · 122 births · 1 in 84 boysCAUtah: #26 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 100 boysUTColorado: #12 for boys · 60 births · 1 in 53 boysCONebraska: #9 for boys · 106 births · 1 in 55 boysNEMissouri: #12 for boys · 197 births · 1 in 71 boysMOKentucky: #15 for boys · 116 births · 1 in 92 boysKYWest Virginia: #7 for boys · 125 births · 1 in 48 boysWVVirginia: #23 for boys · 97 births · 1 in 116 boysVAMaryland: #12 for boys · 87 births · 1 in 67 boysMDDelaware: #9 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 34 boysDEArizona: #15 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 62 boysAZNew Mexico: #44 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 168 boysNMKansas: #9 for boys · 124 births · 1 in 59 boysKSArkansas: #19 for boys · 82 births · 1 in 95 boysARTennessee: #16 for boys · 120 births · 1 in 89 boysTNNorth Carolina: #12 for boys · 199 births · 1 in 72 boysNCSouth Carolina: #28 for boys · 79 births · 1 in 124 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #33 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 106 boysDCOklahoma: #9 for boys · 135 births · 1 in 65 boysOKLouisiana: #21 for boys · 81 births · 1 in 112 boysLAMississippi: #36 for boys · 54 births · 1 in 187 boysMSAlabama: #32 for boys · 72 births · 1 in 175 boysALGeorgia: #21 for boys · 135 births · 1 in 122 boysGAHawaii: #27 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 80 boysHITexas: #25 for boys · 168 births · 1 in 143 boysTXFlorida: #31 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 136 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Indiana#7 · 1 in 39
  2. West Virginia#7 · 1 in 48
  3. Nevada#8 · 1 in 20
  4. Ohio#8 · 1 in 42
  5. Delaware#9 · 1 in 34

Best ever in a state: #2 in Vermont, 1910.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Indiana#72751 in 39
West Virginia#71251 in 48
Nevada#871 in 20
Ohio#85221 in 42
Delaware#9211 in 34
Kansas#91241 in 59
Nebraska#91061 in 55
Oklahoma#91351 in 65
Iowa#111631 in 56
New Hampshire#11331 in 43
Pennsylvania#117651 in 55
Colorado#12601 in 53
Maryland#12871 in 67
Missouri#121971 in 71
North Carolina#121991 in 72
South Dakota#12481 in 53
Illinois#133811 in 74
North Dakota#13501 in 59
Wyoming#13111 in 39
Vermont#14251 in 45
Arizona#15181 in 62
Kentucky#151161 in 92
Tennessee#161201 in 89
Minnesota#171141 in 79
Massachusetts#182171 in 81
Arkansas#19821 in 95
Idaho#19221 in 67
Maine#20361 in 73
New Jersey#201541 in 88
California#211221 in 84
Connecticut#21761 in 80
Georgia#211351 in 122
Louisiana#21811 in 112
Washington#21501 in 80
Montana#23221 in 87
Virginia#23971 in 116
Michigan#241171 in 101
Oregon#24321 in 76
New York#254541 in 106
Texas#251681 in 143
Utah#26201 in 100
Hawaii#27101 in 80
Wisconsin#27861 in 115
Rhode Island#28201 in 120
South Carolina#28791 in 124
Florida#31351 in 136
Alabama#32721 in 175
District of Columbia#33111 in 106
Mississippi#36541 in 187
New Mexico#4481 in 168
Alaska———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Paul
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • Held #262 since 2024
  • 10 spots since 2020 (#252 → #262)
  • 63 spots since 2015 (#199 → #262)
  • Biggest jump: 11 spots in 1882 (#55 → #44)
  • Biggest drop: 19 spots in 2017 (#206 → #225)
Rise & fade · boys
50 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1930 at #12 (12,955 births)
  • Births halved by 1994, 64 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 121 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 121 yrs · run 1880–2000
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 74
  • Highest: 1 in 74 boys born in 1964 were named Paul (1.3%)
  • Latest: 1 in 1,298 boys born in 2025 (0.08%)
  • Its best rank, #12 in 1930, was only 1 in 85 (1.2%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1950s
  • 18.1% of all boys named Paul (253,202) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s4,196#35 (1889)#45
1890s8,181#20 (1896)#24
1900s12,636#17 (1909)#19
1910s78,216#12 (1916)#14
1920s132,384#13 (1925)#14
1930s125,774#12 (1930)#14
1940s183,364#17 (1949)#18
1950s253,202#15 (1958)#17
1960s242,503#16 (1964)#18
1970s136,390#23 (1970)#28
1980s104,397#35 (1980)#41
1990s58,931#49 (1990)#69
2000s30,964#100 (2000)#130
2010s19,030#177 (2010)#206
2020s8,125#252 (2020)#259

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Paul in 1913

girls
#961
31 births · 1 in 20,147 girls
boys
#14
5,966 births · 1 in 86 boys

Top girls' names in 1913

  1. #1Mary36,642
  2. #2Helen18,888
  3. #3Dorothy14,674
  4. #4Margaret14,486
  5. #5Ruth12,609
  6. #6Mildred9,921
  7. #7Anna9,687
  8. #8Elizabeth9,505
  9. #9Frances7,694
  10. #10Marie7,353
  11. #961Paul31

Top boys' names in 1913

  1. #1John29,329
  2. #2William23,538
  3. #3James20,832
  4. #4Robert15,684
  5. #5Joseph14,471
  6. #6George13,874
  7. #7Charles13,191
  8. #8Edward9,474
  9. #9Frank9,237
  10. #10Thomas7,096
  11. #14Paul5,966
More about 1913

girls

624,546 girls got a published name in 1913; 1 in 20,147 of them was named Paul, which outranked 74.1% of the 3,707 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #946Margarite32
  2. #946Palma32
  3. #946Vernon32
  4. #961Paul31
  5. #961Assunta31
  6. #961Carole31
  7. #961Delta31
  8. #981Adah30
  9. #981Ardell30
  10. #981Christena30

Tied with 19 names at #961; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1912
Risers
  1. ↑ 963Dominga#1,844 → #881
  2. ↑ 931Stacia#1,844 → #913
  3. ↑ 576Olympia#1,477 → #901
  4. ↑ 559Lilah#1,540 → #981
  5. ↑ 445Elfrieda#1,297 → #852
Fallers
  1. ↓ 806Karen#960 → #1,766
  2. ↓ 572Erie#833 → #1,405
  3. ↓ 559Gertha#846 → #1,405
  4. ↓ 527Lossie#938 → #1,465
  5. ↓ 505Ardelia#960 → #1,465

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

512,566 boys got a published name in 1913; 1 in 86 of them was named Paul, which outranked 99.6% of the 3,261 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 30.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #11Walter6,890
  2. #12Henry6,391
  3. #13Harold6,157
  4. #14Paul5,966
  5. #15Harry5,458
  6. #16Albert5,449
  7. #17Arthur5,422
Biggest movers since 1912
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,050Mathias#1,885 → #835
  2. ↑ 935Hymen#1,885 → #950
  3. ↑ 796Waldemar#1,746 → #950
  4. ↑ 751Rolf#1,746 → #995
  5. ↑ 689Domenico#1,619 → #930
Fallers
  1. ↓ 975Holland#970 → #1,945
  2. ↓ 885Cameron#918 → #1,803
  3. ↓ 868Larue#935 → #1,803
  4. ↓ 726Irene#854 → #1,580
  5. ↓ 688Hughie#892 → #1,580

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1913 →