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
#12
1930 · 12,955 births
Debut · boys
1880
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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201938peak #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 1938

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #19 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 52 boysAKMaine: #8 for boys · 156 births · 1 in 40 boysMEVermont: #12 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 49 boysVTNew Hampshire: #8 for boys · 98 births · 1 in 32 boysNHWashington: #22 for boys · 110 births · 1 in 107 boysWAIdaho: #21 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 108 boysIDMontana: #41 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 162 boysMTNorth Dakota: #20 for boys · 58 births · 1 in 91 boysNDMinnesota: #18 for boys · 251 births · 1 in 90 boysMNIllinois: #17 for boys · 702 births · 1 in 81 boysILWisconsin: #18 for boys · 250 births · 1 in 99 boysWIMichigan: #18 for boys · 512 births · 1 in 87 boysMINew York: #16 for boys · 1,339 births · 1 in 66 boysNYMassachusetts: #8 for boys · 929 births · 1 in 31 boysMARhode Island: #16 for boys · 78 births · 1 in 57 boysRIOregon: #22 for boys · 67 births · 1 in 105 boysORNevada: #18 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 64 boysNVWyoming: #22 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 86 boysWYSouth Dakota: #20 for boys · 53 births · 1 in 92 boysSDIowa: #17 for boys · 226 births · 1 in 89 boysIAIndiana: #14 for boys · 437 births · 1 in 62 boysINOhio: #12 for boys · 959 births · 1 in 55 boysOHPennsylvania: #14 for boys · 1,339 births · 1 in 57 boysPANew Jersey: #19 for boys · 314 births · 1 in 81 boysNJConnecticut: #17 for boys · 169 births · 1 in 62 boysCTCalifornia: #19 for boys · 521 births · 1 in 90 boysCAUtah: #11 for boys · 85 births · 1 in 62 boysUTColorado: #21 for boys · 98 births · 1 in 95 boysCONebraska: #23 for boys · 91 births · 1 in 110 boysNEMissouri: #15 for boys · 379 births · 1 in 73 boysMOKentucky: #11 for boys · 440 births · 1 in 64 boysKYWest Virginia: #12 for boys · 316 births · 1 in 61 boysWVVirginia: #14 for boys · 258 births · 1 in 90 boysVAMaryland: #14 for boys · 171 births · 1 in 73 boysMDDelaware: #13 for boys · 34 births · 1 in 49 boysDEArizona: #16 for boys · 63 births · 1 in 78 boysAZNew Mexico: #20 for boys · 56 births · 1 in 101 boysNMKansas: #18 for boys · 134 births · 1 in 99 boysKSArkansas: #19 for boys · 171 births · 1 in 106 boysARTennessee: #18 for boys · 293 births · 1 in 92 boysTNNorth Carolina: #23 for boys · 310 births · 1 in 115 boysNCSouth Carolina: #25 for boys · 144 births · 1 in 135 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #18 for boys · 58 births · 1 in 91 boysDCOklahoma: #21 for boys · 220 births · 1 in 96 boysOKLouisiana: #20 for boys · 200 births · 1 in 107 boysLAMississippi: #29 for boys · 144 births · 1 in 149 boysMSAlabama: #29 for boys · 193 births · 1 in 142 boysALGeorgia: #35 for boys · 174 births · 1 in 170 boysGAHawaii: #19 for boys · 47 births · 1 in 70 boysHITexas: #20 for boys · 451 births · 1 in 131 boysTXFlorida: #27 for boys · 106 births · 1 in 130 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Massachusetts#8 · 1 in 31
  2. New Hampshire#8 · 1 in 32
  3. Maine#8 · 1 in 40
  4. Utah#11 · 1 in 62
  5. Kentucky#11 · 1 in 64

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Maine#81561 in 40
Massachusetts#89291 in 31
New Hampshire#8981 in 32
Kentucky#114401 in 64
Utah#11851 in 62
Ohio#129591 in 55
Vermont#12501 in 49
West Virginia#123161 in 61
Delaware#13341 in 49
Indiana#144371 in 62
Maryland#141711 in 73
Pennsylvania#141,3391 in 57
Virginia#142581 in 90
Missouri#153791 in 73
Arizona#16631 in 78
New York#161,3391 in 66
Rhode Island#16781 in 57
Connecticut#171691 in 62
Illinois#177021 in 81
Iowa#172261 in 89
District of Columbia#18581 in 91
Kansas#181341 in 99
Michigan#185121 in 87
Minnesota#182511 in 90
Nevada#1891 in 64
Tennessee#182931 in 92
Wisconsin#182501 in 99
Alaska#1971 in 52
Arkansas#191711 in 106
California#195211 in 90
Hawaii#19471 in 70
New Jersey#193141 in 81
Louisiana#202001 in 107
New Mexico#20561 in 101
North Dakota#20581 in 91
South Dakota#20531 in 92
Texas#204511 in 131
Colorado#21981 in 95
Idaho#21421 in 108
Oklahoma#212201 in 96
Oregon#22671 in 105
Washington#221101 in 107
Wyoming#22211 in 86
Nebraska#23911 in 110
North Carolina#233101 in 115
South Carolina#251441 in 135
Florida#271061 in 130
Alabama#291931 in 142
Mississippi#291441 in 149
Georgia#351741 in 170
Montana#41271 in 162

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 1938

girls
#1,231
35 births · 1 in 31,527 girls
boys
#15
13,360 births · 1 in 83 boys

Top girls' names in 1938

  1. #1Mary56,225
  2. #2Barbara39,277
  3. #3Patricia27,560
  4. #4Betty25,506
  5. #5Shirley23,766
  6. #6Carol19,421
  7. #7Nancy18,951
  8. #8Dorothy16,358
  9. #9Margaret15,330
  10. #10Joan14,303
  11. #1,231Paul35

Top boys' names in 1938

  1. #1Robert62,271
  2. #2James59,102
  3. #3John50,517
  4. #4William42,433
  5. #5Richard34,385
  6. #6Charles31,151
  7. #7Donald26,677
  8. #8David22,994
  9. #9Thomas21,381
  10. #10Ronald20,295
  11. #15Paul13,360
More about 1938

girls

1,103,456 girls got a published name in 1938; 1 in 31,527 of them was named Paul, which outranked 75.4% of the 4,995 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #1,219Tiny36
  2. #1,219Waneta36
  3. #1,219Zenobia36
  4. #1,231Paul35
  5. #1,231Almeta35
  6. #1,231Belia35
  7. #1,231Charlsie35
  8. #1,250Clemmie34
  9. #1,250Doloris34
  10. #1,250Ernest34

Tied with 18 names at #1,231; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1937
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,209Danielle#2,940 → #731
  2. ↑ 833Lorelei#1,451 → #618
  3. ↑ 623Helaine#1,493 → #870
  4. ↑ 399Janine#1,330 → #931
  5. ↑ 392Imelda#1,282 → #890
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,261Noreta#964 → #2,225
  2. ↓ 513Norita#532 → #1,045
  3. ↓ 432Noretta#856 → #1,288
  4. ↓ 366Ferne#950 → #1,316
  5. ↓ 327Verdell#904 → #1,231

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

boys

1,109,147 boys got a published name in 1938; 1 in 83 of them was named Paul, which outranked 99.6% of the 4,035 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #12Joseph17,742
  2. #13Edward14,551
  3. #14Kenneth14,399
  4. #15Paul13,360
  5. #16Larry12,394
  6. #17Jerry12,172
  7. #18Frank10,260
Biggest movers since 1937
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,314Dion#2,197 → #883
  2. ↑ 448Tex#1,212 → #764
  3. ↑ 425Lonny#1,233 → #808
  4. ↑ 401Gonzalo#1,180 → #779
  5. ↑ 383Lance#722 → #339
Fallers
  1. ↓ 741Worth#1,000 → #1,741
  2. ↓ 528Estel#869 → #1,397
  3. ↓ 492Milburn#845 → #1,337
  4. ↓ 412Lonzo#835 → #1,247
  5. ↓ 405Joy#932 → #1,337

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

See the top 100 for 1938 →