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
- Peak · boys
- 1930 · 12,955 births
- Debut · boys
- 301 births
- In top 100 · boys
- 121 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 1,398,293since 1880
Paul over time
Rank among boys' 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 | — | #262 | 1,316 | |
| 2024 | — | #262 | 1,330 | |
| 2023 | — | #256 | 1,359 | |
| 2022 | — | #262 | 1,334 | |
| 2021 | — | #257 | 1,385 | |
| 2020 | — | #252 | 1,401 | |
| 2019 | — | #245 | 1,513 | |
| 2018 | — | #234 | 1,635 | |
| 2017 | — | #225 | 1,699 | |
| 2016 | — | #206 | 1,941 | |
| 2015 | — | #199 | 2,032 | |
| 2014 | — | #201 | 2,007 | |
| 2013 | — | #198 | 2,038 | |
| 2012 | — | #190 | 1,958 | |
| 2011 | — | #186 | 2,078 | |
| 2010 | — | #177 | 2,129 | |
| 2009 | — | #160 | 2,428 | |
| 2008 | — | #154 | 2,555 | |
| 2007 | — | #147 | 2,771 | |
| 2006 | #15,152 | 6 | #132 | 3,037 |
| 2005 | #16,462 | 5 | #130 | 3,145 |
| 2004 | #10,690 | 9 | #127 | 3,191 |
| 2003 | #12,408 | 7 | #123 | 3,256 |
| 2002 | — | #118 | 3,263 | |
| 2001 | #12,056 | 7 | #109 | 3,523 |
| 2000 | #9,874 | 9 | #100 | 3,795 |
| 1999 | #12,688 | 6 | #94 | 4,020 |
| 1998 | #8,016 | 11 | #89 | 4,321 |
| 1997 | #6,483 | 14 | #79 | 4,752 |
| 1996 | #6,723 | 13 | #78 | 4,883 |
| 1995 | #7,041 | 12 | #71 | 5,414 |
| 1994 | #8,122 | 10 | #64 | 5,798 |
| 1993 | #8,719 | 9 | #56 | 6,481 |
| 1992 | #6,008 | 15 | #55 | 7,003 |
| 1991 | #4,059 | 25 | #53 | 7,680 |
| 1990 | #3,436 | 31 | #49 | 8,579 |
| 1989 | #2,618 | 43 | #49 | 9,029 |
| 1988 | #1,671 | 77 | #46 | 9,438 |
| 1987 | #1,812 | 64 | #46 | 9,707 |
| 1986 | #1,717 | 68 | #45 | 9,715 |
| 1985 | #1,604 | 74 | #42 | 10,315 |
| 1984 | #1,432 | 81 | #40 | 10,460 |
| 1983 | #1,400 | 84 | #39 | 10,828 |
| 1982 | #1,621 | 71 | #35 | 11,310 |
| 1981 | #1,568 | 75 | #35 | 11,776 |
| 1980 | #1,624 | 71 | #35 | 11,819 |
| 1979 | #1,555 | 74 | #34 | 11,630 |
| 1978 | #1,473 | 77 | #33 | 11,733 |
| 1977 | #1,451 | 76 | #31 | 11,798 |
| 1976 | #1,384 | 77 | #28 | 11,781 |
| 1975 | #1,365 | 78 | #29 | 12,017 |
| 1974 | #1,161 | 98 | #27 | 12,310 |
| 1973 | #1,312 | 77 | #24 | 12,901 |
| 1972 | #1,394 | 71 | #24 | 14,555 |
| 1971 | #1,194 | 95 | #24 | 17,469 |
| 1970 | #1,212 | 92 | #23 | 20,196 |
| 1969 | #975 | 121 | #22 | 20,690 |
| 1968 | #958 | 116 | #19 | 21,865 |
| 1967 | #1,133 | 87 | #18 | 22,821 |
| 1966 | #1,063 | 97 | #18 | 23,578 |
| 1965 | #1,097 | 91 | #16 | 24,919 |
| 1964 | #1,119 | 96 | #16 | 26,874 |
| 1963 | #1,233 | 79 | #17 | 26,672 |
| 1962 | #1,278 | 75 | #19 | 23,802 |
| 1961 | #1,297 | 73 | #18 | 25,640 |
| 1960 | #1,212 | 81 | #18 | 25,642 |
| 1959 | #1,230 | 75 | #17 | 25,712 |
| 1958 | #1,203 | 78 | #15 | 26,264 |
| 1957 | #1,322 | 64 | #18 | 27,012 |
| 1956 | #1,249 | 69 | #17 | 26,897 |
| 1955 | #1,261 | 64 | #16 | 26,701 |
| 1954 | #1,422 | 50 | #16 | 26,220 |
| 1953 | #1,373 | 50 | #16 | 25,509 |
| 1952 | #1,225 | 60 | #19 | 24,292 |
| 1951 | #1,314 | 50 | #18 | 22,853 |
| 1950 | #1,241 | 55 | #18 | 21,742 |
| 1949 | #1,201 | 57 | #17 | 21,589 |
| 1948 | #1,157 | 60 | #18 | 21,252 |
| 1947 | #1,127 | 63 | #18 | 22,796 |
| 1946 | #1,042 | 66 | #18 | 21,063 |
| 1945 | #1,312 | 37 | #17 | 16,995 |
| 1944 | #1,175 | 45 | #17 | 16,661 |
| 1943 | #1,181 | 47 | #19 | 17,253 |
| 1942 | #1,153 | 47 | #19 | 16,492 |
| 1941 | #924 | 63 | #18 | 15,166 |
| 1940 | #979 | 53 | #17 | 14,097 |
| 1939 | #1,039 | 47 | #17 | 13,337 |
| 1938 | #1,231 | 35 | #15 | 13,360 |
| 1937 | #1,070 | 44 | #15 | 12,881 |
| 1936 | #941 | 53 | #15 | 12,307 |
| 1935 | #896 | 59 | #14 | 12,563 |
| 1934 | #894 | 58 | #14 | 12,196 |
| 1933 | #957 | 51 | #14 | 11,854 |
| 1932 | #758 | 79 | #13 | 12,066 |
| 1931 | #702 | 91 | #12 | 12,255 |
| 1930 | #646 | 114 | #12 | 12,955 |
| 1929 | #731 | 91 | #13 | 12,431 |
| 1928 | #634 | 123 | #13 | 13,160 |
| 1927 | #715 | 102 | #13 | 13,604 |
| 1926 | #777 | 86 | #13 | 13,653 |
| 1925 | #828 | 81 | #13 | 14,175 |
| 1924 | #849 | 78 | #14 | 13,338 |
| 1923 | #838 | 76 | #14 | 13,362 |
| 1922 | #808 | 81 | #14 | 12,922 |
| 1921 | #955 | 60 | #14 | 13,169 |
| 1920 | #836 | 75 | #14 | 12,570 |
| 1919 | #917 | 59 | #15 | 11,305 |
| 1918 | #859 | 70 | #14 | 11,755 |
| 1917 | #879 | 62 | #13 | 11,156 |
| 1916 | #964 | 50 | #12 | 10,790 |
| 1915 | #1,000 | 44 | #13 | 10,328 |
| 1914 | #888 | 43 | #13 | 7,733 |
| 1913 | #961 | 31 | #14 | 5,966 |
| 1912 | #978 | 27 | #14 | 4,785 |
| 1911 | #1,171 | 15 | #17 | 2,393 |
| 1910 | #1,634 | 9 | #15 | 2,005 |
| 1909 | #1,152 | 13 | #17 | 1,676 |
| 1908 | #1,439 | 9 | #18 | 1,478 |
| 1907 | #1,092 | 13 | #20 | 1,358 |
| 1906 | #1,416 | 8 | #19 | 1,308 |
| 1905 | #1,696 | 6 | #19 | 1,262 |
| 1904 | #1,364 | 8 | #19 | 1,194 |
| 1903 | #1,318 | 8 | #19 | 1,081 |
| 1902 | #972 | 13 | #20 | 1,067 |
| 1901 | #1,466 | 6 | #19 | 924 |
| 1900 | #1,319 | 9 | #19 | 1,288 |
| 1899 | #1,394 | 6 | #21 | 885 |
| 1898 | #1,171 | 9 | #21 | 991 |
| 1897 | #1,555 | 5 | #20 | 923 |
| 1896 | #1,416 | 6 | #20 | 964 |
| 1895 | #1,202 | 8 | #20 | 933 |
| 1894 | #1,485 | 5 | #23 | 824 |
| 1893 | #1,091 | 8 | #25 | 743 |
| 1892 | #1,450 | 5 | #29 | 747 |
| 1891 | — | #31 | 564 | |
| 1890 | #1,338 | 5 | #31 | 607 |
| 1889 | — | #35 | 555 | |
| 1888 | — | #38 | 529 | |
| 1887 | — | #40 | 449 | |
| 1886 | #993 | 6 | #38 | 466 |
| 1885 | #921 | 6 | #43 | 428 |
| 1884 | #1,024 | 5 | #45 | 422 |
| 1883 | — | #48 | 358 | |
| 1882 | — | #44 | 397 | |
| 1881 | — | #55 | 291 | |
| 1880 | — | #60 | 301 | |
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 1902
The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.
See more about Paul
- 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)
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1930 at #12 (12,955 births)
- Births halved by 1994, 64 yrs later
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: 121 yrs · run 1880–2000
- Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
- 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
- 18.1% of all boys named Paul (253,202) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,196 | #35 (1889) | #45 |
| 1890s | 8,181 | #20 (1896) | #24 |
| 1900s | 12,636 | #17 (1909) | #19 |
| 1910s | 78,216 | #12 (1916) | #14 |
| 1920s | 132,384 | #13 (1925) | #14 |
| 1930s | 125,774 | #12 (1930) | #14 |
| 1940s | 183,364 | #17 (1949) | #18 |
| 1950s | 253,202 | #15 (1958) | #17 |
| 1960s | 242,503 | #16 (1964) | #18 |
| 1970s | 136,390 | #23 (1970) | #28 |
| 1980s | 104,397 | #35 (1980) | #41 |
| 1990s | 58,931 | #49 (1990) | #69 |
| 2000s | 30,964 | #100 (2000) | #130 |
| 2010s | 19,030 | #177 (2010) | #206 |
| 2020s | 8,125 | #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 1902
Top girls' names in 1902
Top boys' names in 1902
More about 1902
girls
264,073 girls got a published name in 1902; 1 in 20,313 of them was named Paul, which outranked 52.4% of the 2,042 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 19.8% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
boys
122,660 boys got a published name in 1902; 1 in 115 of them was named Paul, which outranked 98.5% of the 1,320 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.