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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201950peak #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 1950

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #21 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 77 boysAKMaine: #9 for boys · 207 births · 1 in 45 boysMEVermont: #10 for boys · 89 births · 1 in 43 boysVTNew Hampshire: #9 for boys · 146 births · 1 in 36 boysNHWashington: #23 for boys · 279 births · 1 in 97 boysWAIdaho: #24 for boys · 70 births · 1 in 98 boysIDMontana: #25 for boys · 60 births · 1 in 114 boysMTNorth Dakota: #27 for boys · 78 births · 1 in 95 boysNDMinnesota: #22 for boys · 477 births · 1 in 75 boysMNIllinois: #18 for boys · 1,215 births · 1 in 76 boysILWisconsin: #18 for boys · 562 births · 1 in 70 boysWIMichigan: #19 for boys · 1,014 births · 1 in 77 boysMINew York: #12 for boys · 2,536 births · 1 in 59 boysNYMassachusetts: #8 for boys · 1,729 births · 1 in 27 boysMARhode Island: #8 for boys · 278 births · 1 in 29 boysRIOregon: #25 for boys · 147 births · 1 in 114 boysORNevada: #28 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 108 boysNVWyoming: #25 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 111 boysWYSouth Dakota: #21 for boys · 108 births · 1 in 75 boysSDIowa: #24 for boys · 337 births · 1 in 89 boysIAIndiana: #21 for boys · 586 births · 1 in 77 boysINOhio: #18 for boys · 1,257 births · 1 in 72 boysOHPennsylvania: #17 for boys · 1,602 births · 1 in 68 boysPANew Jersey: #17 for boys · 682 births · 1 in 67 boysNJConnecticut: #10 for boys · 425 births · 1 in 44 boysCTCalifornia: #20 for boys · 1,443 births · 1 in 85 boysCAUtah: #19 for boys · 136 births · 1 in 71 boysUTColorado: #20 for boys · 190 births · 1 in 86 boysCONebraska: #26 for boys · 129 births · 1 in 115 boysNEMissouri: #23 for boys · 441 births · 1 in 95 boysMOKentucky: #19 for boys · 438 births · 1 in 82 boysKYWest Virginia: #17 for boys · 324 births · 1 in 75 boysWVVirginia: #22 for boys · 303 births · 1 in 122 boysVAMaryland: #17 for boys · 342 births · 1 in 71 boysMDDelaware: #14 for boys · 61 births · 1 in 55 boysDEArizona: #20 for boys · 109 births · 1 in 91 boysAZNew Mexico: #22 for boys · 105 births · 1 in 94 boysNMKansas: #25 for boys · 175 births · 1 in 114 boysKSArkansas: #28 for boys · 177 births · 1 in 126 boysARTennessee: #23 for boys · 379 births · 1 in 103 boysTNNorth Carolina: #31 for boys · 341 births · 1 in 147 boysNCSouth Carolina: #35 for boys · 171 births · 1 in 167 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #13 for boys · 212 births · 1 in 62 boysDCOklahoma: #23 for boys · 234 births · 1 in 102 boysOKLouisiana: #22 for boys · 274 births · 1 in 129 boysLAMississippi: #33 for boys · 174 births · 1 in 167 boysMSAlabama: #33 for boys · 236 births · 1 in 161 boysALGeorgia: #31 for boys · 286 births · 1 in 152 boysGAHawaii: #18 for boys · 72 births · 1 in 82 boysHITexas: #26 for boys · 772 births · 1 in 135 boysTXFlorida: #20 for boys · 276 births · 1 in 110 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Massachusetts#8 · 1 in 27
  2. Rhode Island#8 · 1 in 29
  3. New Hampshire#9 · 1 in 36
  4. Maine#9 · 1 in 45
  5. Vermont#10 · 1 in 43

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Massachusetts#81,7291 in 27
Rhode Island#82781 in 29
Maine#92071 in 45
New Hampshire#91461 in 36
Connecticut#104251 in 44
Vermont#10891 in 43
New York#122,5361 in 59
District of Columbia#132121 in 62
Delaware#14611 in 55
Maryland#173421 in 71
New Jersey#176821 in 67
Pennsylvania#171,6021 in 68
West Virginia#173241 in 75
Hawaii#18721 in 82
Illinois#181,2151 in 76
Ohio#181,2571 in 72
Wisconsin#185621 in 70
Kentucky#194381 in 82
Michigan#191,0141 in 77
Utah#191361 in 71
Arizona#201091 in 91
California#201,4431 in 85
Colorado#201901 in 86
Florida#202761 in 110
Alaska#21181 in 77
Indiana#215861 in 77
South Dakota#211081 in 75
Louisiana#222741 in 129
Minnesota#224771 in 75
New Mexico#221051 in 94
Virginia#223031 in 122
Missouri#234411 in 95
Oklahoma#232341 in 102
Tennessee#233791 in 103
Washington#232791 in 97
Idaho#24701 in 98
Iowa#243371 in 89
Kansas#251751 in 114
Montana#25601 in 114
Oregon#251471 in 114
Wyoming#25271 in 111
Nebraska#261291 in 115
Texas#267721 in 135
North Dakota#27781 in 95
Arkansas#281771 in 126
Nevada#28131 in 108
Georgia#312861 in 152
North Carolina#313411 in 147
Alabama#332361 in 161
Mississippi#331741 in 167
South Carolina#351711 in 167

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 1950

girls
#1,241
55 births · 1 in 31,146 girls
boys
#18
21,742 births · 1 in 82 boys

Top girls' names in 1950

  1. #1Linda80,433
  2. #2Mary65,481
  3. #3Patricia47,944
  4. #4Barbara41,556
  5. #5Susan38,017
  6. #6Nancy29,617
  7. #7Deborah29,063
  8. #8Sandra28,896
  9. #9Carol26,163
  10. #10Kathleen25,706
  11. #1,241Paul55

Top boys' names in 1950

  1. #1James86,228
  2. #2Robert83,553
  3. #3John79,412
  4. #4Michael65,136
  5. #5David60,729
  6. #6William60,680
  7. #7Richard51,003
  8. #8Thomas45,596
  9. #9Charles39,095
  10. #10Gary33,737
  11. #18Paul21,742
More about 1950

girls

1,713,054 girls got a published name in 1950; 1 in 31,146 of them was named Paul, which outranked 79.7% of the 6,109 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #1,234Rickie56
  2. #1,234Teena56
  3. #1,234Teressa56
  4. #1,241Paul55
  5. #1,241Charity55
  6. #1,241Georgann55
  7. #1,241Isabella55
  8. #1,250Bertie54
  9. #1,250Brooke54
  10. #1,250Deloise54

Tied with 8 names at #1,241; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1949
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,242Mindy#2,013 → #771
  2. ↑ 649Geralyn#1,627 → #978
  3. ↑ 636Kyle#1,512 → #876
  4. ↑ 416Debrah#1,109 → #693
  5. ↑ 405Debbra#1,353 → #948
Fallers
  1. ↓ 241Luana#823 → #1,064
  2. ↓ 231Christene#930 → #1,161
  3. ↓ 216Pearline#785 → #1,001
  4. ↓ 210Ingrid#518 → #728
  5. ↓ 201Dayle#982 → #1,183

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

boys

1,790,262 boys got a published name in 1950; 1 in 82 of them was named Paul, which outranked 99.6% of the 4,196 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. #15Kenneth23,813
  2. #16Steven23,250
  3. #17Dennis22,862
  4. #18Paul21,742
  5. #19Stephen20,511
  6. #20George20,183
  7. #21Daniel19,189
Biggest movers since 1949
Risers
  1. ↑ 744Ezzard#1,616 → #872
  2. ↑ 510Kelvin#1,085 → #575
  3. ↑ 447Nancy#1,297 → #850
  4. ↑ 420Samual#1,380 → #960
  5. ↑ 376Shaun#1,275 → #899
Fallers
  1. ↓ 371Sharon#885 → #1,256
  2. ↓ 369Melvyn#770 → #1,139
  3. ↓ 367Les#997 → #1,364
  4. ↓ 351Delmas#905 → #1,256
  5. ↓ 315Denzil#808 → #1,123

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

See the top 100 for 1950 →