Paula
#853 for girls in 2025, 318 births · Last seen for boys in 2023 at #10,821
Given to girls 99.7% of the time
- Peak · girls
- 1954 · 9,686 births
- Debut · girls
- 9 births
- In top 100 · girls
- 32 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · girls
- 280,856since 1880
Paula over time
Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #853 | 318 | — | |
| 2024 | #752 | 375 | — | |
| 2023 | #706 | 402 | #10,821 | 6 |
| 2022 | #806 | 349 | #10,863 | 6 |
| 2021 | #822 | 338 | — | |
| 2020 | #822 | 331 | #12,022 | 5 |
| 2019 | #753 | 373 | — | |
| 2018 | #793 | 344 | — | |
| 2017 | #856 | 319 | #12,246 | 5 |
| 2016 | #826 | 348 | — | |
| 2015 | #889 | 310 | #8,040 | 9 |
| 2014 | #993 | 267 | — | |
| 2013 | #847 | 307 | — | |
| 2012 | #721 | 385 | — | |
| 2011 | #817 | 325 | — | |
| 2010 | #814 | 332 | — | |
| 2009 | #781 | 362 | #10,994 | 6 |
| 2008 | #678 | 448 | #12,553 | 5 |
| 2007 | #651 | 455 | #12,367 | 5 |
| 2006 | #667 | 431 | — | |
| 2005 | #667 | 416 | #8,299 | 8 |
| 2004 | #651 | 419 | #9,948 | 6 |
| 2003 | #719 | 356 | — | |
| 2002 | #615 | 416 | #10,667 | 5 |
| 2001 | #600 | 420 | — | |
| 2000 | #572 | 454 | #7,416 | 8 |
| 1999 | #564 | 446 | — | |
| 1998 | #545 | 457 | #9,631 | 5 |
| 1997 | #489 | 504 | — | |
| 1996 | #454 | 552 | — | |
| 1995 | #458 | 553 | #6,407 | 8 |
| 1994 | #402 | 623 | #6,372 | 8 |
| 1993 | #400 | 630 | #4,447 | 13 |
| 1992 | #338 | 776 | #8,435 | 5 |
| 1991 | #320 | 849 | #6,519 | 7 |
| 1990 | #296 | 940 | #4,993 | 10 |
| 1989 | #320 | 794 | #3,446 | 16 |
| 1988 | #304 | 812 | #3,523 | 14 |
| 1987 | #272 | 903 | #4,573 | 9 |
| 1986 | #279 | 881 | #3,882 | 11 |
| 1985 | #249 | 1,015 | #4,052 | 10 |
| 1984 | #230 | 1,102 | #3,701 | 11 |
| 1983 | #220 | 1,159 | #3,071 | 14 |
| 1982 | #204 | 1,328 | #2,596 | 18 |
| 1981 | #186 | 1,480 | #3,412 | 12 |
| 1980 | #173 | 1,598 | #4,495 | 8 |
| 1979 | #165 | 1,694 | #3,810 | 10 |
| 1978 | #150 | 1,827 | #3,614 | 10 |
| 1977 | #144 | 2,043 | #3,203 | 12 |
| 1976 | #121 | 2,250 | #4,418 | 7 |
| 1975 | #108 | 2,651 | #2,450 | 17 |
| 1974 | #96 | 3,061 | #2,277 | 18 |
| 1973 | #87 | 3,504 | #2,124 | 19 |
| 1972 | #72 | 4,260 | #2,659 | 13 |
| 1971 | #63 | 5,379 | #2,464 | 15 |
| 1970 | #57 | 6,055 | #1,889 | 22 |
| 1969 | #50 | 6,753 | #1,767 | 22 |
| 1968 | #45 | 7,637 | #1,650 | 23 |
| 1967 | #46 | 7,694 | #1,609 | 23 |
| 1966 | #50 | 7,856 | #2,216 | 13 |
| 1965 | #49 | 7,915 | #1,806 | 19 |
| 1964 | #45 | 9,498 | #1,975 | 17 |
| 1963 | #42 | 10,156 | #1,513 | 27 |
| 1962 | #60 | 7,193 | #2,673 | 10 |
| 1961 | #60 | 7,744 | #1,876 | 19 |
| 1960 | #55 | 8,066 | #2,042 | 16 |
| 1959 | #51 | 8,059 | #1,759 | 21 |
| 1958 | #53 | 8,025 | #1,511 | 27 |
| 1957 | #49 | 8,544 | #2,093 | 15 |
| 1956 | #47 | 8,925 | #1,676 | 22 |
| 1955 | #39 | 9,585 | #2,219 | 13 |
| 1954 | #38 | 9,686 | #2,316 | 12 |
| 1953 | #40 | 9,557 | #2,038 | 15 |
| 1952 | #47 | 8,567 | #1,856 | 17 |
| 1951 | #51 | 7,290 | #2,844 | 8 |
| 1950 | #54 | 6,631 | #2,580 | 9 |
| 1949 | #55 | 6,577 | #1,754 | 18 |
| 1948 | #52 | 6,600 | #2,443 | 10 |
| 1947 | #54 | 6,102 | #2,862 | 8 |
| 1946 | #69 | 4,724 | #2,143 | 12 |
| 1945 | #67 | 3,798 | #2,131 | 11 |
| 1944 | #82 | 3,315 | #1,890 | 14 |
| 1943 | #93 | 3,042 | #1,764 | 17 |
| 1942 | #136 | 1,974 | #2,523 | 9 |
| 1941 | #151 | 1,540 | — | |
| 1940 | #155 | 1,372 | #2,478 | 9 |
| 1939 | #159 | 1,348 | #3,480 | 5 |
| 1938 | #163 | 1,318 | #2,646 | 8 |
| 1937 | #165 | 1,212 | — | |
| 1936 | #185 | 982 | #3,147 | 6 |
| 1935 | #220 | 774 | — | |
| 1934 | #228 | 759 | #2,266 | 11 |
| 1933 | #245 | 611 | — | |
| 1932 | #238 | 658 | — | |
| 1931 | #250 | 585 | #3,095 | 7 |
| 1930 | #251 | 614 | #2,781 | 9 |
| 1929 | #254 | 619 | #3,959 | 5 |
| 1928 | #276 | 558 | — | |
| 1927 | #271 | 602 | — | |
| 1926 | #286 | 541 | #4,201 | 5 |
| 1925 | #307 | 464 | — | |
| 1924 | #329 | 418 | — | |
| 1923 | #337 | 378 | — | |
| 1922 | #373 | 305 | — | |
| 1921 | #373 | 326 | — | |
| 1920 | #354 | 343 | — | |
| 1919 | #414 | 245 | — | |
| 1918 | #401 | 265 | — | |
| 1917 | #359 | 303 | #3,981 | 5 |
| 1916 | #361 | 289 | — | |
| 1915 | #398 | 228 | — | |
| 1914 | #390 | 184 | — | |
| 1913 | #396 | 150 | — | |
| 1912 | #357 | 164 | — | |
| 1911 | #392 | 105 | — | |
| 1910 | #417 | 89 | — | |
| 1909 | #421 | 76 | — | |
| 1908 | #399 | 83 | — | |
| 1907 | #408 | 76 | — | |
| 1906 | #349 | 89 | — | |
| 1905 | #409 | 68 | — | |
| 1904 | #371 | 79 | — | |
| 1903 | #419 | 57 | — | |
| 1902 | #490 | 41 | — | |
| 1901 | #425 | 50 | — | |
| 1900 | #494 | 47 | — | |
| 1899 | #461 | 40 | — | |
| 1898 | #415 | 55 | — | |
| 1897 | #438 | 45 | — | |
| 1896 | #420 | 47 | — | |
| 1895 | #480 | 37 | — | |
| 1894 | #487 | 34 | — | |
| 1893 | #391 | 47 | — | |
| 1892 | #419 | 40 | — | |
| 1891 | #377 | 44 | — | |
| 1890 | #429 | 35 | — | |
| 1889 | #421 | 33 | — | |
| 1888 | #476 | 27 | — | |
| 1887 | #435 | 26 | — | |
| 1886 | #476 | 21 | — | |
| 1885 | #542 | 16 | — | |
| 1884 | #614 | 12 | — | |
| 1883 | #435 | 19 | — | |
| 1882 | #813 | 6 | — | |
| 1881 | #582 | 9 | — | |
| 1880 | #580 | 9 | — | |
In the first year the SSA published name data, Paula was already there! It came in at #580, and was given to 9 baby girls.
Quietest stretch: 1880–1882, when fewer than 10 girls a year got the name.
See more about Paula
- 101 spots since 2024 (#752 → #853)
- 31 spots since 2020 (#822 → #853)
- 36 spots since 2015 (#889 → #853)
- Biggest jump: 378 spots in 1883 (#813 → #435)
- Biggest drop: 231 spots in 1882 (#582 → #813)
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1954 at #38 (9,686 births)
- Births halved by 1972, 18 yrs later
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: 32 yrs · run 1943–1974
- Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
- Highest: 1 in 190 girls born in 1963 were named Paula (0.53%)
- Latest: 1 in 5,054 girls born in 2025 (0.02%)
- Its best rank, #38 in 1954, was only 1 in 200 (0.50%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
- 30.2% of all girls named Paula (84,869) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 178 | #421 (1889) | #537 |
| 1890s | 424 | #377 (1891) | #432 |
| 1900s | 666 | #349 (1906) | #419 |
| 1910s | 2,022 | #357 (1912) | #389 |
| 1920s | 4,554 | #254 (1929) | #316 |
| 1930s | 8,861 | #159 (1939) | #210 |
| 1940s | 39,044 | #52 (1948) | #91 |
| 1950s | 84,869 | #38 (1954) | #47 |
| 1960s | 80,512 | #42 (1963) | #50 |
| 1970s | 32,724 | #57 (1970) | #106 |
| 1980s | 11,072 | #173 (1980) | #244 |
| 1990s | 6,330 | #296 (1990) | #427 |
| 2000s | 4,177 | #572 (2000) | #660 |
| 2010s | 3,310 | #721 (2012) | #831 |
| 2020s | 2,113 | #706 (2023) | #794 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Paula in 2002
Top girls' names in 2002
Top boys' names in 2002
More about 2002
girls
1,796,882 girls got a published name in 2002; 1 in 4,319 of them was named Paula, which outranked 96.6% of the 18,086 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 9.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,941,514 boys got a published name in 2002; 1 in 388,303 of them was named Paula, which outranked 14.6% of the 12,489 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 12.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).