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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201942peak #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 1942

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #21 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 56 boysAKMaine: #9 for boys · 149 births · 1 in 51 boysMEVermont: #14 for boys · 55 births · 1 in 52 boysVTNew Hampshire: #9 for boys · 110 births · 1 in 37 boysNHWashington: #21 for boys · 169 births · 1 in 104 boysWAIdaho: #24 for boys · 44 births · 1 in 110 boysIDMontana: #36 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 157 boysMTNorth Dakota: #22 for boys · 63 births · 1 in 90 boysNDMinnesota: #20 for boys · 311 births · 1 in 86 boysMNIllinois: #21 for boys · 869 births · 1 in 85 boysILWisconsin: #20 for boys · 312 births · 1 in 95 boysWIMichigan: #18 for boys · 756 births · 1 in 77 boysMINew York: #15 for boys · 1,836 births · 1 in 64 boysNYMassachusetts: #8 for boys · 1,210 births · 1 in 33 boysMARhode Island: #9 for boys · 158 births · 1 in 39 boysRIOregon: #19 for boys · 116 births · 1 in 88 boysORNevada: #21 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 77 boysNVWyoming: #29 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 115 boysWYSouth Dakota: #20 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 103 boysSDIowa: #18 for boys · 264 births · 1 in 87 boysIAIndiana: #14 for boys · 510 births · 1 in 67 boysINOhio: #15 for boys · 1,043 births · 1 in 65 boysOHPennsylvania: #15 for boys · 1,444 births · 1 in 65 boysPANew Jersey: #17 for boys · 547 births · 1 in 68 boysNJConnecticut: #14 for boys · 315 births · 1 in 53 boysCTCalifornia: #19 for boys · 776 births · 1 in 94 boysCAUtah: #13 for boys · 102 births · 1 in 68 boysUTColorado: #18 for boys · 131 births · 1 in 81 boysCONebraska: #20 for boys · 111 births · 1 in 97 boysNEMissouri: #17 for boys · 405 births · 1 in 83 boysMOKentucky: #14 for boys · 441 births · 1 in 68 boysKYWest Virginia: #16 for boys · 294 births · 1 in 71 boysWVVirginia: #19 for boys · 259 births · 1 in 114 boysVAMaryland: #15 for boys · 232 births · 1 in 79 boysMDDelaware: #15 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 65 boysDEArizona: #20 for boys · 64 births · 1 in 94 boysAZNew Mexico: #12 for boys · 86 births · 1 in 70 boysNMKansas: #19 for boys · 151 births · 1 in 101 boysKSArkansas: #21 for boys · 207 births · 1 in 101 boysARTennessee: #19 for boys · 360 births · 1 in 89 boysTNNorth Carolina: #23 for boys · 361 births · 1 in 115 boysNCSouth Carolina: #31 for boys · 155 births · 1 in 153 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #13 for boys · 146 births · 1 in 63 boysDCOklahoma: #22 for boys · 215 births · 1 in 100 boysOKLouisiana: #19 for boys · 262 births · 1 in 100 boysLAMississippi: #31 for boys · 157 births · 1 in 151 boysMSAlabama: #27 for boys · 237 births · 1 in 138 boysALGeorgia: #34 for boys · 214 births · 1 in 165 boysGAHawaii: #18 for boys · 60 births · 1 in 70 boysHITexas: #28 for boys · 496 births · 1 in 142 boysTXFlorida: #26 for boys · 136 births · 1 in 137 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Massachusetts#8 · 1 in 33
  2. New Hampshire#9 · 1 in 37
  3. Rhode Island#9 · 1 in 39
  4. Maine#9 · 1 in 51
  5. New Mexico#12 · 1 in 70

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Massachusetts#81,2101 in 33
Maine#91491 in 51
New Hampshire#91101 in 37
Rhode Island#91581 in 39
New Mexico#12861 in 70
District of Columbia#131461 in 63
Utah#131021 in 68
Connecticut#143151 in 53
Indiana#145101 in 67
Kentucky#144411 in 68
Vermont#14551 in 52
Delaware#15351 in 65
Maryland#152321 in 79
New York#151,8361 in 64
Ohio#151,0431 in 65
Pennsylvania#151,4441 in 65
West Virginia#162941 in 71
Missouri#174051 in 83
New Jersey#175471 in 68
Colorado#181311 in 81
Hawaii#18601 in 70
Iowa#182641 in 87
Michigan#187561 in 77
California#197761 in 94
Kansas#191511 in 101
Louisiana#192621 in 100
Oregon#191161 in 88
Tennessee#193601 in 89
Virginia#192591 in 114
Arizona#20641 in 94
Minnesota#203111 in 86
Nebraska#201111 in 97
South Dakota#20501 in 103
Wisconsin#203121 in 95
Alaska#2181 in 56
Arkansas#212071 in 101
Illinois#218691 in 85
Nevada#21111 in 77
Washington#211691 in 104
North Dakota#22631 in 90
Oklahoma#222151 in 100
North Carolina#233611 in 115
Idaho#24441 in 110
Florida#261361 in 137
Alabama#272371 in 138
Texas#284961 in 142
Wyoming#29181 in 115
Mississippi#311571 in 151
South Carolina#311551 in 153
Georgia#342141 in 165
Montana#36311 in 157

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 1942

girls
#1,153
47 births · 1 in 28,739 girls
boys
#19
16,492 births · 1 in 84 boys

Top girls' names in 1942

  1. #1Mary63,256
  2. #2Barbara44,739
  3. #3Patricia39,465
  4. #4Linda31,613
  5. #5Carol30,272
  6. #6Sandra24,994
  7. #7Judith24,792
  8. #8Nancy23,327
  9. #9Betty21,659
  10. #10Carolyn19,978
  11. #1,153Paul47

Top boys' names in 1942

  1. #1James77,182
  2. #2Robert71,845
  3. #3John66,043
  4. #4William54,890
  5. #5Richard43,593
  6. #6David35,905
  7. #7Charles35,854
  8. #8Thomas31,100
  9. #9Ronald27,138
  10. #10Donald23,955
  11. #19Paul16,492
More about 1942

girls

1,350,719 girls got a published name in 1942; 1 in 28,739 of them was named Paul, which outranked 78.6% of the 5,378 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #1,137Nada48
  2. #1,137Ray48
  3. #1,137Vernita48
  4. #1,153Paul47
  5. #1,153Armida47
  6. #1,153Bettyann47
  7. #1,153Delories47
  8. #1,162Abby46
  9. #1,162Annis46
  10. #1,162Brooke46

Tied with 8 names at #1,153; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1941
Risers
  1. ↑ 3,567Michal#4,420 → #853
  2. ↑ 1,885Merrily#2,397 → #512
  3. ↑ 1,081Merrilee#1,954 → #873
  4. ↑ 783Jerrilyn#1,610 → #827
  5. ↑ 760Candace#1,418 → #658
Fallers
  1. ↓ 354Rebekah#924 → #1,278
  2. ↓ 350Leatha#830 → #1,180
  3. ↓ 307Nella#993 → #1,300
  4. ↓ 272Arla#934 → #1,206
  5. ↓ 262Vivien#735 → #997

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

boys

1,381,161 boys got a published name in 1942; 1 in 84 of them was named Paul, which outranked 99.5% of the 4,044 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #16Jerry17,488
  2. #17Edward17,470
  3. #18Gary17,068
  4. #19Paul16,492
  5. #20Dennis13,281
  6. #21Frank12,248
  7. #22Gerald11,484
Biggest movers since 1941
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,993Macarthur#3,505 → #512
  2. ↑ 1,546Mcarthur#1,903 → #357
  3. ↑ 655Collin#1,588 → #933
  4. ↑ 514Delmas#1,254 → #740
  5. ↑ 390Colin#713 → #323
Fallers
  1. ↓ 525Otho#971 → #1,496
  2. ↓ 440Florian#918 → #1,358
  3. ↓ 421Martha#960 → #1,381
  4. ↓ 407Watson#951 → #1,358
  5. ↓ 371Gaylen#987 → #1,358

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

See the top 100 for 1942 →