Boy nameCurrently #264 in the USFalling
Paul
PAWL//pɔːl//
1 syllablePeak year: 19574 lettersStarts with P
Meaning & origin
Small, humble
Paul comes from the Latin 'paulus', meaning small or humble, and belongs to the apostle whose missionary journeys and letters shaped much of the New Testament. Simple and enduring, it has been a steady classic for two millennia.
Paul's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Paul |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 301 |
| 1881 | 291 |
| 1882 | 397 |
| 1883 | 358 |
| 1884 | 427 |
| 1885 | 434 |
| 1886 | 472 |
| 1887 | 449 |
| 1888 | 529 |
| 1889 | 555 |
| 1890 | 612 |
| 1891 | 564 |
| 1892 | 752 |
| 1893 | 751 |
| 1894 | 829 |
| 1895 | 941 |
| 1896 | 970 |
| 1897 | 928 |
| 1898 | 1,000 |
| 1899 | 891 |
| 1900 | 1,297 |
| 1901 | 930 |
| 1902 | 1,080 |
| 1903 | 1,089 |
| 1904 | 1,202 |
| 1905 | 1,268 |
| 1906 | 1,316 |
| 1907 | 1,371 |
| 1908 | 1,487 |
| 1909 | 1,689 |
| 1910 | 2,014 |
| 1911 | 2,408 |
| 1912 | 4,812 |
| 1913 | 5,997 |
| 1914 | 7,776 |
| 1915 | 10,372 |
| 1916 | 10,840 |
| 1917 | 11,218 |
| 1918 | 11,825 |
| 1919 | 11,364 |
| 1920 | 12,645 |
| 1921 | 13,229 |
| 1922 | 13,003 |
| 1923 | 13,438 |
| 1924 | 13,417 |
| 1925 | 14,255 |
| 1926 | 13,739 |
| 1927 | 13,707 |
| 1928 | 13,282 |
| 1929 | 12,522 |
| 1930 | 13,068 |
| 1931 | 12,346 |
| 1932 | 12,146 |
| 1933 | 11,905 |
| 1934 | 12,254 |
| 1935 | 12,622 |
| 1936 | 12,359 |
| 1937 | 12,924 |
| 1938 | 13,395 |
| 1939 | 13,383 |
| 1940 | 14,150 |
| 1941 | 15,230 |
| 1942 | 16,540 |
| 1943 | 17,296 |
| 1944 | 16,704 |
| 1945 | 17,031 |
| 1946 | 21,129 |
| 1947 | 22,856 |
| 1948 | 21,312 |
| 1949 | 21,646 |
| 1950 | 21,798 |
| 1951 | 22,902 |
| 1952 | 24,353 |
| 1953 | 25,559 |
| 1954 | 26,271 |
| 1955 | 26,763 |
| 1956 | 26,967 |
| 1957 | 27,075 |
| 1958 | 26,335 |
| 1959 | 25,784 |
| 1960 | 25,714 |
| 1961 | 25,714 |
| 1962 | 23,881 |
| 1963 | 26,746 |
| 1964 | 26,973 |
| 1965 | 25,012 |
| 1966 | 23,675 |
| 1967 | 22,911 |
| 1968 | 21,985 |
| 1969 | 20,808 |
| 1970 | 20,289 |
| 1971 | 17,563 |
| 1972 | 14,632 |
| 1973 | 12,980 |
| 1974 | 12,410 |
| 1975 | 12,094 |
| 1976 | 11,860 |
| 1977 | 11,875 |
| 1978 | 11,810 |
| 1979 | 11,706 |
| 1980 | 11,892 |
| 1981 | 11,853 |
| 1982 | 11,381 |
| 1983 | 10,910 |
| 1984 | 10,542 |
| 1985 | 10,389 |
| 1986 | 9,784 |
| 1987 | 9,770 |
| 1988 | 9,512 |
| 1989 | 9,072 |
| 1990 | 8,610 |
| 1991 | 7,707 |
| 1992 | 7,018 |
| 1993 | 6,491 |
| 1994 | 5,807 |
| 1995 | 5,425 |
| 1996 | 4,896 |
| 1997 | 4,766 |
| 1998 | 4,332 |
| 1999 | 4,026 |
| 2000 | 3,804 |
| 2001 | 3,530 |
| 2002 | 3,263 |
| 2003 | 3,263 |
| 2004 | 3,197 |
| 2005 | 3,150 |
| 2006 | 3,042 |
| 2007 | 2,771 |
| 2008 | 2,554 |
| 2009 | 2,428 |
| 2010 | 2,129 |
| 2011 | 2,077 |
| 2012 | 1,957 |
| 2013 | 2,038 |
| 2014 | 2,007 |
| 2015 | 2,032 |
| 2016 | 1,940 |
| 2017 | 1,697 |
| 2018 | 1,634 |
| 2019 | 1,512 |
| 2020 | 1,401 |
| 2021 | 1,384 |
| 2022 | 1,330 |
| 2023 | 1,359 |
| 2024 | 1,320 |
Paul through the decades
- Paul peaked in 1957, when 27,075 babies were named Paul in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Paul has fallen 35% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Paul currently ranks #264 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Paulie
Variants & spellings
PabloPaolo
Famous people named Paul
- Paul McCartney — musician