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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201952peak #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.

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 1952

girls
#1,225
60 births · 1 in 30,906 girls
boys
#19
24,292 births · 1 in 80 boys

Top girls' names in 1952

  1. #1Linda67,082
  2. #2Mary65,629
  3. #3Patricia53,101
  4. #4Deborah49,811
  5. #5Susan41,348
  6. #6Barbara39,864
  7. #7Nancy31,739
  8. #8Karen28,956
  9. #9Debra26,832
  10. #10Sandra26,097
  11. #1,225Paul60

Top boys' names in 1952

  1. #1James87,065
  2. #2Robert86,588
  3. #3John83,140
  4. #4Michael79,037
  5. #5David71,752
  6. #6William63,039
  7. #7Richard58,350
  8. #8Thomas48,647
  9. #9Charles38,866
  10. #10Gary38,754
  11. #19Paul24,292
More about 1952

girls

1,854,335 girls got a published name in 1952; 1 in 30,906 of them was named Paul, which outranked 80.8% of the 6,389 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #1,216Jaunita61
  2. #1,216Leeann61
  3. #1,216Simone61
  4. #1,225Paul60
  5. #1,225Agatha60
  6. #1,225Allyn60
  7. #1,225Christal60
  8. #1,236Alecia59
  9. #1,236Angelica59
  10. #1,236Carolee59

Tied with 10 names at #1,225; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1951
Risers
  1. 2,501Pandora#3,284#783
  2. 368Lise#1,314#946
  3. 353Vanessa#656#303
  4. 334Dorinda#1,170#836
  5. 332Mitzi#928#596
Fallers
  1. 380Rhona#988#1,368
  2. 342Sharleen#765#1,107
  3. 270Enid#908#1,178
  4. 237Allyn#988#1,225
  5. 230Sheron#908#1,138

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

boys

1,943,633 boys got a published name in 1952; 1 in 80 of them was named Paul, which outranked 99.6% of the 4,257 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #16Kenneth25,909
  2. #17Mark25,678
  3. #18Dennis24,552
  4. #19Paul24,292
  5. #20Daniel23,418
  6. #21Stephen23,055
  7. #22George19,821
Biggest movers since 1951
Risers
  1. 753Darren#1,598#845
  2. 372Robby#1,242#870
  3. 355Cris#1,218#863
  4. 301Ethan#1,295#994
  5. 280Adan#1,150#870
Fallers
  1. 477Ottis#984#1,461
  2. 408Wayland#915#1,323
  3. 330Mcarthur#806#1,136
  4. 305Arvin#963#1,268
  5. 285Levon#881#1,166

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

See the top 100 for 1952