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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201953peak #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 1953

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #22 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 101 boysAKMaine: #10 for boys · 199 births · 1 in 49 boysMEVermont: #10 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 44 boysVTNew Hampshire: #10 for boys · 142 births · 1 in 38 boysNHWashington: #21 for boys · 366 births · 1 in 82 boysWAIdaho: #22 for boys · 84 births · 1 in 87 boysIDMontana: #23 for boys · 74 births · 1 in 98 boysMTNorth Dakota: #25 for boys · 96 births · 1 in 78 boysNDMinnesota: #13 for boys · 673 births · 1 in 56 boysMNIllinois: #18 for boys · 1,383 births · 1 in 73 boysILWisconsin: #15 for boys · 634 births · 1 in 67 boysWIMichigan: #18 for boys · 1,265 births · 1 in 71 boysMINew York: #12 for boys · 2,840 births · 1 in 58 boysNYMassachusetts: #8 for boys · 1,868 births · 1 in 28 boysMARhode Island: #8 for boys · 281 births · 1 in 32 boysRIOregon: #22 for boys · 225 births · 1 in 83 boysORNevada: #21 for boys · 28 births · 1 in 72 boysNVWyoming: #21 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 89 boysWYSouth Dakota: #27 for boys · 81 births · 1 in 100 boysSDIowa: #19 for boys · 414 births · 1 in 73 boysIAIndiana: #19 for boys · 668 births · 1 in 76 boysINOhio: #20 for boys · 1,398 births · 1 in 74 boysOHPennsylvania: #16 for boys · 1,791 births · 1 in 66 boysPANew Jersey: #13 for boys · 852 births · 1 in 62 boysNJConnecticut: #11 for boys · 519 births · 1 in 43 boysCTCalifornia: #17 for boys · 1,904 births · 1 in 78 boysCAUtah: #13 for boys · 204 births · 1 in 56 boysUTColorado: #19 for boys · 235 births · 1 in 78 boysCONebraska: #27 for boys · 151 births · 1 in 100 boysNEMissouri: #21 for boys · 565 births · 1 in 80 boysMOKentucky: #18 for boys · 475 births · 1 in 75 boysKYWest Virginia: #17 for boys · 299 births · 1 in 75 boysWVVirginia: #22 for boys · 404 births · 1 in 105 boysVAMaryland: #18 for boys · 386 births · 1 in 74 boysMDDelaware: #13 for boys · 67 births · 1 in 61 boysDEArizona: #14 for boys · 153 births · 1 in 81 boysAZNew Mexico: #15 for boys · 140 births · 1 in 82 boysNMKansas: #27 for boys · 208 births · 1 in 112 boysKSArkansas: #25 for boys · 190 births · 1 in 110 boysARTennessee: #26 for boys · 358 births · 1 in 111 boysTNNorth Carolina: #31 for boys · 413 births · 1 in 131 boysNCSouth Carolina: #30 for boys · 200 births · 1 in 153 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #19 for boys · 189 births · 1 in 76 boysDCOklahoma: #25 for boys · 222 births · 1 in 111 boysOKLouisiana: #19 for boys · 373 births · 1 in 105 boysLAMississippi: #30 for boys · 198 births · 1 in 146 boysMSAlabama: #29 for boys · 280 births · 1 in 138 boysALGeorgia: #29 for boys · 330 births · 1 in 142 boysGAHawaii: #15 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 78 boysHITexas: #22 for boys · 1,078 births · 1 in 110 boysTXFlorida: #22 for boys · 362 births · 1 in 106 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Massachusetts#8 · 1 in 28
  2. Rhode Island#8 · 1 in 32
  3. New Hampshire#10 · 1 in 38
  4. Vermont#10 · 1 in 44
  5. Maine#10 · 1 in 49

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Massachusetts#81,8681 in 28
Rhode Island#82811 in 32
Maine#101991 in 49
New Hampshire#101421 in 38
Vermont#10881 in 44
Connecticut#115191 in 43
New York#122,8401 in 58
Delaware#13671 in 61
Minnesota#136731 in 56
New Jersey#138521 in 62
Utah#132041 in 56
Arizona#141531 in 81
Hawaii#15881 in 78
New Mexico#151401 in 82
Wisconsin#156341 in 67
Pennsylvania#161,7911 in 66
California#171,9041 in 78
West Virginia#172991 in 75
Illinois#181,3831 in 73
Kentucky#184751 in 75
Maryland#183861 in 74
Michigan#181,2651 in 71
Colorado#192351 in 78
District of Columbia#191891 in 76
Indiana#196681 in 76
Iowa#194141 in 73
Louisiana#193731 in 105
Ohio#201,3981 in 74
Missouri#215651 in 80
Nevada#21281 in 72
Washington#213661 in 82
Wyoming#21411 in 89
Alaska#22271 in 101
Florida#223621 in 106
Idaho#22841 in 87
Oregon#222251 in 83
Texas#221,0781 in 110
Virginia#224041 in 105
Montana#23741 in 98
Arkansas#251901 in 110
North Dakota#25961 in 78
Oklahoma#252221 in 111
Tennessee#263581 in 111
Kansas#272081 in 112
Nebraska#271511 in 100
South Dakota#27811 in 100
Alabama#292801 in 138
Georgia#293301 in 142
Mississippi#301981 in 146
South Carolina#302001 in 153
North Carolina#314131 in 131

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 1953

girls
#1,373
50 births · 1 in 37,626 girls
boys
#16
25,509 births · 1 in 77 boys

Top girls' names in 1953

  1. #1Mary64,389
  2. #2Linda61,281
  3. #3Deborah52,199
  4. #4Patricia51,019
  5. #5Susan44,297
  6. #6Barbara38,473
  7. #7Debra36,856
  8. #8Nancy30,620
  9. #9Karen29,858
  10. #10Pamela25,760
  11. #1,373Paul50

Top boys' names in 1953

  1. #1Robert86,243
  2. #2James86,066
  3. #3Michael84,198
  4. #4John80,165
  5. #5David76,119
  6. #6William61,829
  7. #7Richard58,389
  8. #8Thomas47,008
  9. #9Charles38,421
  10. #10Gary36,967
  11. #16Paul25,509
More about 1953

girls

1,881,301 girls got a published name in 1953; 1 in 37,626 of them was named Paul, which outranked 78.9% of the 6,497 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #1,358Penni51
  2. #1,358Ricky51
  3. #1,358Rozanne51
  4. #1,373Paul50
  5. #1,373Bernetta50
  6. #1,373Carin50
  7. #1,373Cecily50
  8. #1,389Adriana49
  9. #1,389Bunny49
  10. #1,389Darcel49

Tied with 15 names at #1,373; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1952
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,253Enola#3,201 → #948
  2. ↑ 885Lu#1,368 → #483
  3. ↑ 749Joni#1,046 → #297
  4. ↑ 553Brooke#1,351 → #798
  5. ↑ 531Lorri#1,430 → #899
Fallers
  1. ↓ 274Roseanna#808 → #1,082
  2. ↓ 253Georgie#946 → #1,199
  3. ↓ 218Pandora#783 → #1,001
  4. ↓ 204Fonda#822 → #1,026
  5. ↓ 195Brinda#935 → #1,130

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

boys

1,972,299 boys got a published name in 1953; 1 in 77 of them was named Paul, which outranked 99.6% of the 4,341 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #13Joseph29,269
  2. #14Donald28,361
  3. #15Ronald27,713
  4. #16Paul25,509
  5. #17Kenneth25,507
  6. #18Larry25,208
  7. #19Dennis23,658
Biggest movers since 1952
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,276Faron#2,251 → #975
  2. ↑ 694Shane#1,213 → #519
  3. ↑ 528Enrico#1,517 → #989
  4. ↑ 441Blaise#1,430 → #989
  5. ↑ 429Robbin#1,268 → #839
Fallers
  1. ↓ 427Durwood#981 → #1,408
  2. ↓ 392Jonnie#939 → #1,331
  3. ↓ 312Elvis#968 → #1,280
  4. ↓ 293Edsel#968 → #1,261
  5. ↓ 292Beverly#766 → #1,058

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

See the top 100 for 1953 →