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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201944peak #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 1944

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #10 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 36 boysAKMaine: #10 for boys · 174 births · 1 in 44 boysMEVermont: #12 for boys · 51 births · 1 in 51 boysVTNew Hampshire: #9 for boys · 94 births · 1 in 39 boysNHWashington: #19 for boys · 199 births · 1 in 101 boysWAIdaho: #20 for boys · 53 births · 1 in 96 boysIDMontana: #32 for boys · 30 births · 1 in 150 boysMTNorth Dakota: #21 for boys · 58 births · 1 in 98 boysNDMinnesota: #18 for boys · 318 births · 1 in 80 boysMNIllinois: #19 for boys · 841 births · 1 in 79 boysILWisconsin: #19 for boys · 323 births · 1 in 88 boysWIMichigan: #19 for boys · 670 births · 1 in 80 boysMINew York: #14 for boys · 1,840 births · 1 in 60 boysNYMassachusetts: #7 for boys · 1,309 births · 1 in 29 boysMARhode Island: #14 for boys · 136 births · 1 in 44 boysRIOregon: #18 for boys · 118 births · 1 in 94 boysORNevada: #18 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 68 boysNVWyoming: #26 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 103 boysWYSouth Dakota: #24 for boys · 47 births · 1 in 112 boysSDIowa: #18 for boys · 269 births · 1 in 80 boysIAIndiana: #15 for boys · 481 births · 1 in 69 boysINOhio: #14 for boys · 982 births · 1 in 64 boysOHPennsylvania: #15 for boys · 1,337 births · 1 in 63 boysPANew Jersey: #17 for boys · 473 births · 1 in 73 boysNJConnecticut: #15 for boys · 275 births · 1 in 56 boysCTCalifornia: #18 for boys · 944 births · 1 in 90 boysCAUtah: #13 for boys · 120 births · 1 in 60 boysUTColorado: #16 for boys · 151 births · 1 in 74 boysCONebraska: #21 for boys · 105 births · 1 in 106 boysNEMissouri: #17 for boys · 394 births · 1 in 82 boysMOKentucky: #15 for boys · 403 births · 1 in 71 boysKYWest Virginia: #14 for boys · 326 births · 1 in 58 boysWVVirginia: #18 for boys · 277 births · 1 in 106 boysVAMaryland: #15 for boys · 289 births · 1 in 63 boysMDDelaware: #14 for boys · 39 births · 1 in 63 boysDEArizona: #21 for boys · 71 births · 1 in 97 boysAZNew Mexico: #28 for boys · 61 births · 1 in 112 boysNMKansas: #19 for boys · 150 births · 1 in 105 boysKSArkansas: #23 for boys · 192 births · 1 in 104 boysARTennessee: #18 for boys · 394 births · 1 in 81 boysTNNorth Carolina: #22 for boys · 379 births · 1 in 111 boysNCSouth Carolina: #27 for boys · 192 births · 1 in 124 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #15 for boys · 144 births · 1 in 69 boysDCOklahoma: #24 for boys · 199 births · 1 in 108 boysOKLouisiana: #21 for boys · 244 births · 1 in 111 boysLAMississippi: #34 for boys · 150 births · 1 in 158 boysMSAlabama: #28 for boys · 239 births · 1 in 136 boysALGeorgia: #33 for boys · 232 births · 1 in 157 boysGAHawaii: #22 for boys · 66 births · 1 in 78 boysHITexas: #28 for boys · 545 births · 1 in 145 boysTXFlorida: #21 for boys · 224 births · 1 in 105 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Massachusetts#7 · 1 in 29
  2. New Hampshire#9 · 1 in 39
  3. Alaska#10 · 1 in 36
  4. Maine#10 · 1 in 44
  5. Vermont#12 · 1 in 51

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Massachusetts#71,3091 in 29
New Hampshire#9941 in 39
Alaska#10161 in 36
Maine#101741 in 44
Vermont#12511 in 51
Utah#131201 in 60
Delaware#14391 in 63
New York#141,8401 in 60
Ohio#149821 in 64
Rhode Island#141361 in 44
West Virginia#143261 in 58
Connecticut#152751 in 56
District of Columbia#151441 in 69
Indiana#154811 in 69
Kentucky#154031 in 71
Maryland#152891 in 63
Pennsylvania#151,3371 in 63
Colorado#161511 in 74
Missouri#173941 in 82
New Jersey#174731 in 73
California#189441 in 90
Iowa#182691 in 80
Minnesota#183181 in 80
Nevada#18161 in 68
Oregon#181181 in 94
Tennessee#183941 in 81
Virginia#182771 in 106
Illinois#198411 in 79
Kansas#191501 in 105
Michigan#196701 in 80
Washington#191991 in 101
Wisconsin#193231 in 88
Idaho#20531 in 96
Arizona#21711 in 97
Florida#212241 in 105
Louisiana#212441 in 111
Nebraska#211051 in 106
North Dakota#21581 in 98
Hawaii#22661 in 78
North Carolina#223791 in 111
Arkansas#231921 in 104
Oklahoma#241991 in 108
South Dakota#24471 in 112
Wyoming#26211 in 103
South Carolina#271921 in 124
Alabama#282391 in 136
New Mexico#28611 in 112
Texas#285451 in 145
Montana#32301 in 150
Georgia#332321 in 157
Mississippi#341501 in 158

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 1944

girls
#1,175
45 births · 1 in 29,494 girls
boys
#17
16,661 births · 1 in 82 boys

Top girls' names in 1944

  1. #1Mary62,476
  2. #2Barbara39,196
  3. #3Linda38,415
  4. #4Patricia36,874
  5. #5Carol30,456
  6. #6Sandra26,024
  7. #7Nancy23,218
  8. #8Sharon22,433
  9. #9Judith22,431
  10. #10Betty19,761
  11. #1,175Paul45

Top boys' names in 1944

  1. #1James76,951
  2. #2Robert70,855
  3. #3John66,616
  4. #4William52,375
  5. #5Richard45,643
  6. #6David37,382
  7. #7Charles34,662
  8. #8Thomas31,604
  9. #9Michael26,717
  10. #10Ronald25,513
  11. #17Paul16,661
More about 1944

girls

1,327,223 girls got a published name in 1944; 1 in 29,494 of them was named Paul, which outranked 77.6% of the 5,243 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #1,153Retta46
  2. #1,153Verlene46
  3. #1,153Vivien46
  4. #1,175Paul45
  5. #1,175Allison45
  6. #1,175Cristina45
  7. #1,175Eldora45
  8. #1,188Blanca44
  9. #1,188Clair44
  10. #1,188Dennis44

Tied with 12 names at #1,175; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1943
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,229Dorinda#1,834 → #605
  2. ↑ 611Deirdre#1,556 → #945
  3. ↑ 504Alana#1,251 → #747
  4. ↑ 460Elyse#1,327 → #867
  5. ↑ 407Joella#1,395 → #988
Fallers
  1. ↓ 613Michal#996 → #1,609
  2. ↓ 493Aloma#762 → #1,255
  3. ↓ 448Louvenia#916 → #1,364
  4. ↓ 347Norine#889 → #1,236
  5. ↓ 341Lyla#864 → #1,205

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

boys

1,362,875 boys got a published name in 1944; 1 in 82 of them was named Paul, which outranked 99.6% of the 3,909 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 34.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #14George20,419
  2. #15Gary20,058
  3. #16Kenneth18,093
  4. #17Paul16,661
  5. #18Edward16,482
  6. #19Jerry16,282
  7. #20Dennis13,676
Biggest movers since 1943
Risers
  1. ↑ 647Rickie#1,461 → #814
  2. ↑ 586Rusty#1,577 → #991
  3. ↑ 585Humberto#1,280 → #695
  4. ↑ 408Llewellyn#1,343 → #935
  5. ↑ 402Hilario#1,308 → #906
Fallers
  1. ↓ 359Elwyn#923 → #1,282
  2. ↓ 356Albin#856 → #1,212
  3. ↓ 348Prentiss#980 → #1,328
  4. ↓ 286Barrie#969 → #1,255
  5. ↓ 269Duke#986 → #1,255

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

See the top 100 for 1944 →