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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201970peak #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 1970

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #22 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 77 boysAKMaine: #22 for boys · 109 births · 1 in 73 boysMEVermont: #18 for boys · 65 births · 1 in 54 boysVTNew Hampshire: #23 for boys · 74 births · 1 in 79 boysNHWashington: #20 for boys · 317 births · 1 in 89 boysWAIdaho: #24 for boys · 63 births · 1 in 97 boysIDMontana: #19 for boys · 66 births · 1 in 80 boysMTNorth Dakota: #13 for boys · 102 births · 1 in 50 boysNDMinnesota: #17 for boys · 573 births · 1 in 57 boysMNIllinois: #23 for boys · 1,154 births · 1 in 84 boysILWisconsin: #18 for boys · 652 births · 1 in 56 boysWIMichigan: #23 for boys · 1,025 births · 1 in 79 boysMINew York: #20 for boys · 1,881 births · 1 in 82 boysNYMassachusetts: #13 for boys · 983 births · 1 in 47 boysMARhode Island: #17 for boys · 135 births · 1 in 55 boysRIOregon: #20 for boys · 208 births · 1 in 80 boysORNevada: #23 for boys · 43 births · 1 in 88 boysNVWyoming: #29 for boys · 24 births · 1 in 105 boysWYSouth Dakota: #19 for boys · 68 births · 1 in 75 boysSDIowa: #27 for boys · 208 births · 1 in 111 boysIAIndiana: #26 for boys · 478 births · 1 in 100 boysINOhio: #26 for boys · 1,052 births · 1 in 92 boysOHPennsylvania: #24 for boys · 1,082 births · 1 in 87 boysPANew Jersey: #20 for boys · 686 births · 1 in 81 boysNJConnecticut: #19 for boys · 353 births · 1 in 66 boysCTCalifornia: #21 for boys · 2,027 births · 1 in 88 boysCAUtah: #16 for boys · 167 births · 1 in 74 boysUTColorado: #18 for boys · 253 births · 1 in 78 boysCONebraska: #22 for boys · 153 births · 1 in 78 boysNEMissouri: #24 for boys · 440 births · 1 in 90 boysMOKentucky: #19 for boys · 352 births · 1 in 82 boysKYWest Virginia: #19 for boys · 173 births · 1 in 81 boysWVVirginia: #25 for boys · 369 births · 1 in 104 boysVAMaryland: #20 for boys · 367 births · 1 in 77 boysMDDelaware: #23 for boys · 53 births · 1 in 84 boysDEArizona: #17 for boys · 201 births · 1 in 84 boysAZNew Mexico: #10 for boys · 143 births · 1 in 67 boysNMKansas: #24 for boys · 172 births · 1 in 97 boysKSArkansas: #25 for boys · 160 births · 1 in 100 boysARTennessee: #29 for boys · 287 births · 1 in 123 boysTNNorth Carolina: #30 for boys · 334 births · 1 in 137 boysNCSouth Carolina: #25 for boys · 183 births · 1 in 128 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #18 for boys · 142 births · 1 in 85 boysDCOklahoma: #22 for boys · 185 births · 1 in 109 boysOKLouisiana: #20 for boys · 322 births · 1 in 105 boysLAMississippi: #28 for boys · 163 births · 1 in 130 boysMSAlabama: #34 for boys · 212 births · 1 in 146 boysALGeorgia: #26 for boys · 330 births · 1 in 137 boysGAHawaii: #20 for boys · 73 births · 1 in 91 boysHITexas: #19 for boys · 1,016 births · 1 in 113 boysTXFlorida: #25 for boys · 477 births · 1 in 113 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. New Mexico#10 · 1 in 67
  2. Massachusetts#13 · 1 in 47
  3. North Dakota#13 · 1 in 50
  4. Utah#16 · 1 in 74
  5. Rhode Island#17 · 1 in 55

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
New Mexico#101431 in 67
Massachusetts#139831 in 47
North Dakota#131021 in 50
Utah#161671 in 74
Arizona#172011 in 84
Minnesota#175731 in 57
Rhode Island#171351 in 55
Colorado#182531 in 78
District of Columbia#181421 in 85
Vermont#18651 in 54
Wisconsin#186521 in 56
Connecticut#193531 in 66
Kentucky#193521 in 82
Montana#19661 in 80
South Dakota#19681 in 75
Texas#191,0161 in 113
West Virginia#191731 in 81
Hawaii#20731 in 91
Louisiana#203221 in 105
Maryland#203671 in 77
New Jersey#206861 in 81
New York#201,8811 in 82
Oregon#202081 in 80
Washington#203171 in 89
California#212,0271 in 88
Alaska#22411 in 77
Maine#221091 in 73
Nebraska#221531 in 78
Oklahoma#221851 in 109
Delaware#23531 in 84
Illinois#231,1541 in 84
Michigan#231,0251 in 79
Nevada#23431 in 88
New Hampshire#23741 in 79
Idaho#24631 in 97
Kansas#241721 in 97
Missouri#244401 in 90
Pennsylvania#241,0821 in 87
Arkansas#251601 in 100
Florida#254771 in 113
South Carolina#251831 in 128
Virginia#253691 in 104
Georgia#263301 in 137
Indiana#264781 in 100
Ohio#261,0521 in 92
Iowa#272081 in 111
Mississippi#281631 in 130
Tennessee#292871 in 123
Wyoming#29241 in 105
North Carolina#303341 in 137
Alabama#342121 in 146

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 1970

girls
#1,212
92 births · 1 in 19,002 girls
boys
#23
20,196 births · 1 in 92 boys

Top girls' names in 1970

  1. #1Jennifer46,150
  2. #2Lisa38,967
  3. #3Kimberly34,130
  4. #4Michelle34,047
  5. #5Amy25,212
  6. #6Angela24,929
  7. #7Melissa23,735
  8. #8Tammy19,587
  9. #9Mary19,204
  10. #10Tracy18,464
  11. #1,212Paul92

Top boys' names in 1970

  1. #1Michael85,266
  2. #2James61,735
  3. #3David61,728
  4. #4John58,491
  5. #5Robert57,177
  6. #6Christopher41,747
  7. #7William38,887
  8. #8Brian31,917
  9. #9Mark31,461
  10. #10Richard30,442
  11. #23Paul20,196
More about 1970

girls

1,748,144 girls got a published name in 1970; 1 in 19,002 of them was named Paul, which outranked 87.0% of the 9,355 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #1,208Loraine93
  2. #1,208May93
  3. #1,208Roseanne93
  4. #1,212Paul92
  5. #1,212Alesia92
  6. #1,212Becki92
  7. #1,212Buffie92
  8. #1,224Bernadine91
  9. #1,224Celena91
  10. #1,224Charissa91

Tied with 11 names at #1,212; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1969
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,541Tanisha#2,515 → #974
  2. ↑ 1,194India#1,955 → #761
  3. ↑ 695Shay#1,648 → #953
  4. ↑ 685Terra#1,303 → #618
  5. ↑ 669Dyan#1,648 → #979
Fallers
  1. ↓ 385Cinnamon#698 → #1,083
  2. ↓ 306Kaye#932 → #1,238
  3. ↓ 303Luanne#990 → #1,293
  4. ↓ 273Laureen#845 → #1,118
  5. ↓ 273Lesia#965 → #1,238

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

boys

1,858,229 boys got a published name in 1970; 1 in 92 of them was named Paul, which outranked 99.6% of the 5,433 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 26.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #20Timothy22,422
  2. #21Charles22,411
  3. #22Anthony21,176
  4. #23Paul20,196
  5. #24Matthew20,185
  6. #25Kenneth16,800
  7. #26Gregory16,286
Biggest movers since 1969
Risers
  1. ↑ 3,783Jermaine#4,404 → #621
  2. ↑ 1,000Dax#1,861 → #861
  3. ↑ 842Jeramy#1,810 → #968
  4. ↑ 639Branden#1,570 → #931
  5. ↑ 407Braden#1,396 → #989
Fallers
  1. ↓ 593Jemal#549 → #1,142
  2. ↓ 307Karen#885 → #1,192
  3. ↓ 307Merlin#885 → #1,192
  4. ↓ 302Dennie#920 → #1,222
  5. ↓ 276Luciano#931 → #1,207

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

See the top 100 for 1970 →