Paul vs Paula

Side-by-side comparison of Paul and Paula — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Paul

Boy name · Rank #263

Full profile →
Name B

Paula

Girl name · Rank #751

Full profile →

Which name is more popular?

Metric Paul Paula
Current Rank #263 #751
Total Births (all years) 1,396,943 280,537
Peak Year 1957 1963
Peak Year Births 27,012 10,151
Peak Decade 1950ss 1950ss
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Paul Paula
1880ss 4,196 178
1890ss 8,181 424
1900ss 12,636 666
1910ss 78,216 2,022
1920ss 132,384 4,554
1930ss 125,771 8,861
1940ss 183,356 39,045
1950ss 253,191 84,869
1960ss 242,503 80,511
1970ss 136,404 32,725
1980ss 104,397 11,073
1990ss 58,932 6,330
2000ss 30,959 4,176
2010ss 19,023 3,310
2020ss 6,794 1,793

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Paul Paula
2014 2,007 267
2015 2,032 310
2016 1,940 348
2017 1,697 319
2018 1,634 344
2019 1,512 373
2020 1,401 331
2021 1,384 338
2022 1,330 349
2023 1,359 401
2024 1,320 374

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2024.

← Compare different names