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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201973peak #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 1973

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #20 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 79 boysAKMaine: #28 for boys · 70 births · 1 in 100 boysMEVermont: #34 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 103 boysVTNew Hampshire: #35 for boys · 46 births · 1 in 106 boysNHWashington: #33 for boys · 168 births · 1 in 128 boysWAIdaho: #34 for boys · 45 births · 1 in 132 boysIDMontana: #31 for boys · 43 births · 1 in 109 boysMTNorth Dakota: #17 for boys · 62 births · 1 in 72 boysNDMinnesota: #25 for boys · 291 births · 1 in 88 boysMNIllinois: #26 for boys · 657 births · 1 in 119 boysILWisconsin: #23 for boys · 377 births · 1 in 78 boysWIMichigan: #26 for boys · 618 births · 1 in 106 boysMINew York: #21 for boys · 1,238 births · 1 in 92 boysNYMassachusetts: #20 for boys · 578 births · 1 in 61 boysMARhode Island: #18 for boys · 94 births · 1 in 60 boysRIOregon: #37 for boys · 101 births · 1 in 142 boysORNevada: #31 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 114 boysNVWyoming: #19 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 70 boysWYSouth Dakota: #27 for boys · 45 births · 1 in 98 boysSDIowa: #37 for boys · 127 births · 1 in 143 boysIAIndiana: #31 for boys · 307 births · 1 in 129 boysINOhio: #28 for boys · 659 births · 1 in 117 boysOHPennsylvania: #27 for boys · 702 births · 1 in 106 boysPANew Jersey: #23 for boys · 419 births · 1 in 103 boysNJConnecticut: #22 for boys · 198 births · 1 in 85 boysCTCalifornia: #22 for boys · 1,333 births · 1 in 108 boysCAUtah: #29 for boys · 114 births · 1 in 112 boysUTColorado: #24 for boys · 187 births · 1 in 97 boysCONebraska: #35 for boys · 82 births · 1 in 127 boysNEMissouri: #27 for boys · 284 births · 1 in 116 boysMOKentucky: #25 for boys · 225 births · 1 in 115 boysKYWest Virginia: #23 for boys · 144 births · 1 in 91 boysWVVirginia: #29 for boys · 248 births · 1 in 127 boysVAMaryland: #25 for boys · 222 births · 1 in 97 boysMDDelaware: #25 for boys · 39 births · 1 in 86 boysDEArizona: #23 for boys · 148 births · 1 in 116 boysAZNew Mexico: #15 for boys · 110 births · 1 in 80 boysNMKansas: #33 for boys · 96 births · 1 in 144 boysKSArkansas: #41 for boys · 93 births · 1 in 161 boysARTennessee: #35 for boys · 199 births · 1 in 157 boysTNNorth Carolina: #37 for boys · 216 births · 1 in 182 boysNCSouth Carolina: #31 for boys · 132 births · 1 in 161 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #30 for boys · 69 births · 1 in 121 boysDCOklahoma: #38 for boys · 124 births · 1 in 146 boysOKLouisiana: #24 for boys · 235 births · 1 in 127 boysLAMississippi: #41 for boys · 108 births · 1 in 176 boysMSAlabama: #40 for boys · 152 births · 1 in 175 boysALGeorgia: #43 for boys · 191 births · 1 in 205 boysGAHawaii: #29 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 113 boysHITexas: #24 for boys · 734 births · 1 in 143 boysTXFlorida: #26 for boys · 401 births · 1 in 123 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. New Mexico#15 · 1 in 80
  2. North Dakota#17 · 1 in 72
  3. Rhode Island#18 · 1 in 60
  4. Wyoming#19 · 1 in 70
  5. Massachusetts#20 · 1 in 61

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
New Mexico#151101 in 80
North Dakota#17621 in 72
Rhode Island#18941 in 60
Wyoming#19321 in 70
Alaska#20311 in 79
Massachusetts#205781 in 61
New York#211,2381 in 92
California#221,3331 in 108
Connecticut#221981 in 85
Arizona#231481 in 116
New Jersey#234191 in 103
West Virginia#231441 in 91
Wisconsin#233771 in 78
Colorado#241871 in 97
Louisiana#242351 in 127
Texas#247341 in 143
Delaware#25391 in 86
Kentucky#252251 in 115
Maryland#252221 in 97
Minnesota#252911 in 88
Florida#264011 in 123
Illinois#266571 in 119
Michigan#266181 in 106
Missouri#272841 in 116
Pennsylvania#277021 in 106
South Dakota#27451 in 98
Maine#28701 in 100
Ohio#286591 in 117
Hawaii#29521 in 113
Utah#291141 in 112
Virginia#292481 in 127
District of Columbia#30691 in 121
Indiana#313071 in 129
Montana#31431 in 109
Nevada#31291 in 114
South Carolina#311321 in 161
Kansas#33961 in 144
Washington#331681 in 128
Idaho#34451 in 132
Vermont#34261 in 103
Nebraska#35821 in 127
New Hampshire#35461 in 106
Tennessee#351991 in 157
Iowa#371271 in 143
North Carolina#372161 in 182
Oregon#371011 in 142
Oklahoma#381241 in 146
Alabama#401521 in 175
Arkansas#41931 in 161
Mississippi#411081 in 176
Georgia#431911 in 205

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 1973

girls
#1,312
77 births · 1 in 18,938 girls
boys
#24
12,901 births · 1 in 121 boys

Top girls' names in 1973

  1. #1Jennifer62,448
  2. #2Amy26,962
  3. #3Michelle26,935
  4. #4Kimberly23,531
  5. #5Lisa22,677
  6. #6Melissa22,479
  7. #7Angela20,898
  8. #8Heather19,347
  9. #9Stephanie17,263
  10. #10Rebecca14,868
  11. #1,312Paul77

Top boys' names in 1973

  1. #1Michael67,797
  2. #2Christopher48,313
  3. #3Jason46,683
  4. #4James42,836
  5. #5David41,082
  6. #6John39,165
  7. #7Robert38,698
  8. #8Brian35,686
  9. #9William28,018
  10. #10Matthew24,531
  11. #24Paul12,901
More about 1973

girls

1,458,209 girls got a published name in 1973; 1 in 18,938 of them was named Paul, which outranked 86.6% of the 9,810 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.7% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #1,302Mariana78
  2. #1,302Samara78
  3. #1,302Shondra78
  4. #1,312Paul77
  5. #1,312Adela77
  6. #1,312Ashlee77
  7. #1,312Chantal77
  8. #1,329Anglea76
  9. #1,329Estelle76
  10. #1,329Jeanetta76

Tied with 16 names at #1,312; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1972
Risers
  1. ↑ 4,091Cicely#4,793 → #702
  2. ↑ 2,295Aubrey#3,177 → #882
  3. ↑ 1,847Nyree#2,680 → #833
  4. ↑ 1,533Danyell#2,523 → #990
  5. ↑ 1,496Vonetta#2,311 → #815
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,814Camisha#815 → #2,629
  2. ↓ 470Andra#904 → #1,374
  3. ↓ 416Cherilyn#823 → #1,239
  4. ↓ 284Keena#848 → #1,132
  5. ↓ 281Nicolle#734 → #1,015

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

boys

1,558,576 boys got a published name in 1973; 1 in 121 of them was named Paul, which outranked 99.6% of the 5,877 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 26.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #21Anthony16,414
  2. #22Timothy16,036
  3. #23Charles15,752
  4. #24Paul12,901
  5. #25Chad12,886
  6. #26Gregory11,674
  7. #27Shawn11,451
Biggest movers since 1972
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,348Vashon#3,152 → #804
  2. ↑ 1,405Jory#2,158 → #753
  3. ↑ 348Pernell#1,262 → #914
  4. ↑ 345Enoch#1,307 → #962
  5. ↑ 273Tarik#1,177 → #904
Fallers
  1. ↓ 669Jabbar#917 → #1,586
  2. ↓ 361Wes#993 → #1,354
  3. ↓ 326Paris#797 → #1,123
  4. ↓ 284Christophe#984 → #1,268
  5. ↓ 272Bennett#851 → #1,123

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

See the top 100 for 1973 →