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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201981peak #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 1981

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #42 for boys · 30 births · 1 in 134 boysAKMaine: #45 for boys · 43 births · 1 in 164 boysMEVermont: #51 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 189 boysVTNew Hampshire: #46 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 166 boysNHWashington: #40 for boys · 226 births · 1 in 141 boysWAIdaho: #46 for boys · 51 births · 1 in 160 boysIDMontana: #51 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 176 boysMTNorth Dakota: #40 for boys · 46 births · 1 in 128 boysNDMinnesota: #36 for boys · 299 births · 1 in 110 boysMNIllinois: #35 for boys · 597 births · 1 in 142 boysILWisconsin: #35 for boys · 341 births · 1 in 102 boysWIMichigan: #36 for boys · 503 births · 1 in 130 boysMINew York: #28 for boys · 1,002 births · 1 in 113 boysNYMassachusetts: #28 for boys · 406 births · 1 in 88 boysMARhode Island: #23 for boys · 81 births · 1 in 70 boysRIOregon: #43 for boys · 125 births · 1 in 161 boysORNevada: #37 for boys · 44 births · 1 in 129 boysNVWyoming: #56 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 201 boysWYSouth Dakota: #39 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 132 boysSDIowa: #48 for boys · 116 births · 1 in 188 boysIAIndiana: #42 for boys · 242 births · 1 in 166 boysINOhio: #36 for boys · 625 births · 1 in 129 boysOHPennsylvania: #37 for boys · 551 births · 1 in 140 boysPANew Jersey: #29 for boys · 384 births · 1 in 111 boysNJConnecticut: #28 for boys · 192 births · 1 in 93 boysCTCalifornia: #32 for boys · 1,411 births · 1 in 142 boysCAUtah: #40 for boys · 139 births · 1 in 137 boysUTColorado: #37 for boys · 192 births · 1 in 124 boysCONebraska: #42 for boys · 84 births · 1 in 147 boysNEMissouri: #41 for boys · 242 births · 1 in 151 boysMOKentucky: #40 for boys · 183 births · 1 in 148 boysKYWest Virginia: #37 for boys · 96 births · 1 in 135 boysWVVirginia: #37 for boys · 240 births · 1 in 144 boysVAMaryland: #37 for boys · 187 births · 1 in 129 boysMDDelaware: #36 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 122 boysDEArizona: #33 for boys · 178 births · 1 in 130 boysAZNew Mexico: #36 for boys · 78 births · 1 in 143 boysNMKansas: #42 for boys · 112 births · 1 in 162 boysKSArkansas: #46 for boys · 77 births · 1 in 198 boysARTennessee: #45 for boys · 155 births · 1 in 209 boysTNNorth Carolina: #44 for boys · 180 births · 1 in 210 boysNCSouth Carolina: #41 for boys · 105 births · 1 in 201 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #27 for boys · 76 births · 1 in 105 boysDCOklahoma: #54 for boys · 108 births · 1 in 218 boysOKLouisiana: #30 for boys · 261 births · 1 in 140 boysLAMississippi: #48 for boys · 85 births · 1 in 226 boysMSAlabama: #42 for boys · 126 births · 1 in 209 boysALGeorgia: #51 for boys · 160 births · 1 in 252 boysGAHawaii: #36 for boys · 46 births · 1 in 148 boysHITexas: #39 for boys · 769 births · 1 in 179 boysTXFlorida: #36 for boys · 403 births · 1 in 156 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Rhode Island#23 · 1 in 70
  2. District of Columbia#27 · 1 in 105
  3. Massachusetts#28 · 1 in 88
  4. Connecticut#28 · 1 in 93
  5. New York#28 · 1 in 113

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Rhode Island#23811 in 70
District of Columbia#27761 in 105
Connecticut#281921 in 93
Massachusetts#284061 in 88
New York#281,0021 in 113
New Jersey#293841 in 111
Louisiana#302611 in 140
California#321,4111 in 142
Arizona#331781 in 130
Illinois#355971 in 142
Wisconsin#353411 in 102
Delaware#36311 in 122
Florida#364031 in 156
Hawaii#36461 in 148
Michigan#365031 in 130
Minnesota#362991 in 110
New Mexico#36781 in 143
Ohio#366251 in 129
Colorado#371921 in 124
Maryland#371871 in 129
Nevada#37441 in 129
Pennsylvania#375511 in 140
Virginia#372401 in 144
West Virginia#37961 in 135
South Dakota#39411 in 132
Texas#397691 in 179
Kentucky#401831 in 148
North Dakota#40461 in 128
Utah#401391 in 137
Washington#402261 in 141
Missouri#412421 in 151
South Carolina#411051 in 201
Alabama#421261 in 209
Alaska#42301 in 134
Indiana#422421 in 166
Kansas#421121 in 162
Nebraska#42841 in 147
Oregon#431251 in 161
North Carolina#441801 in 210
Maine#45431 in 164
Tennessee#451551 in 209
Arkansas#46771 in 198
Idaho#46511 in 160
New Hampshire#46371 in 166
Iowa#481161 in 188
Mississippi#48851 in 226
Georgia#511601 in 252
Montana#51331 in 176
Vermont#51171 in 189
Oklahoma#541081 in 218
Wyoming#56201 in 201

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 1981

girls
#1,568
75 births · 1 in 22,241 girls
boys
#35
11,776 births · 1 in 152 boys

Top girls' names in 1981

  1. #1Jennifer57,046
  2. #2Jessica42,531
  3. #3Amanda34,372
  4. #4Sarah28,175
  5. #5Melissa28,005
  6. #6Amy20,345
  7. #7Nicole20,310
  8. #8Stephanie20,212
  9. #9Elizabeth20,168
  10. #10Heather17,946
  11. #1,568Paul75

Top boys' names in 1981

  1. #1Michael68,750
  2. #2Christopher50,221
  3. #3Matthew43,330
  4. #4Jason41,927
  5. #5David40,629
  6. #6Joshua39,024
  7. #7James38,283
  8. #8John34,868
  9. #9Robert34,395
  10. #10Daniel30,985
  11. #35Paul11,776
More about 1981

girls

1,668,060 girls got a published name in 1981; 1 in 22,241 of them was named Paul, which outranked 87.1% of the 12,198 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #1,559Kiera76
  2. #1,559Nisha76
  3. #1,559Yanira76
  4. #1,568Paul75
  5. #1,568Aleah75
  6. #1,568Catharine75
  7. #1,568Janee75
  8. #1,580Belen74
  9. #1,580Britni74
  10. #1,580Britta74

Tied with 11 names at #1,568; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1980
Risers
  1. ↑ 3,850Tashina#4,743 → #893
  2. ↑ 2,742Krystle#3,215 → #473
  3. ↑ 1,800Tierra#2,342 → #542
  4. ↑ 1,398Martine#2,189 → #791
  5. ↑ 999Nereida#1,981 → #982
Fallers
  1. ↓ 764Kylene#990 → #1,754
  2. ↓ 607Renada#708 → #1,315
  3. ↓ 560Ashanti#822 → #1,382
  4. ↓ 399Renata#336 → #735
  5. ↓ 395Tracee#959 → #1,354

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

boys

1,791,177 boys got a published name in 1981; 1 in 152 of them was named Paul, which outranked 99.5% of the 7,289 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Paul
  1. #32Benjamin14,360
  2. #33Mark13,542
  3. #34Scott12,719
  4. #35Paul11,776
  5. #36Nathan11,256
  6. #37Jesse10,443
  7. #38Patrick10,384
Biggest movers since 1980
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,321Marchello#2,162 → #841
  2. ↑ 1,104Skylar#2,058 → #954
  3. ↑ 816Kellen#1,432 → #616
  4. ↑ 499Marcello#1,291 → #792
  5. ↑ 456Tyrel#1,089 → #633
Fallers
  1. ↓ 306Kenyatta#871 → #1,177
  2. ↓ 284Seneca#718 → #1,002
  3. ↓ 247Kimberly#989 → #1,236
  4. ↓ 216Chadd#927 → #1,143
  5. ↓ 214Levar#911 → #1,125

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

See the top 100 for 1981 →