Total births
24,496
Girls' name · since 1950
Paola
Paola has 24,496 recorded births since 1950 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2006 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1080
- among girls today
- 24,496
- born since 1950
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Paola is the #1080 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 24,496 recorded since 1950.
Paola has 24,496 recorded births among girls since 1950, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1080 as of the latest data, more common than 94% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1950 to 2025.
- #1080 among girls today
- 24,496 born since 1950
- 2000s peak decade
- 94% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Paola is currently the #1080 girls' name in America, more common than 94% of girls - 24,496 born since 1950, peaking in the 2000s.
- #1080
- among girls today
- 24,496
- born since 1950
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Paola vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1080
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
40% of everyone ever named Paola was born in this single decade.
2006
Single peak year
1,089 babies were named Paola in 2006 - its busiest year on record.
How Paola compares
24,496 Top 5% higher than 95% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Paola's all-time total is 64x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Paola | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 24,496 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,089 | 48 | 19,840 |
Paola's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Paola's SSA record in two at 1990 and the more recent half accounts for 90% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 10%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1950, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2006 peak of 1,089, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Paola at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2006
Current rank
#1,080
Active since
1950
Paola popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1950–2025
- Peak year (2006)
- 1,089
- Annual births at peak, across 76 years of records
Paola popularity over time - boys
148 total births recorded since 1984 (Paola as boys' name)
Paola by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Paola's strongest decade.
9,877 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 40% of all-time use.
Paola births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 44
1950s
44 births
- 1960s 217
1960s
217 births
- 1970s 619
1970s
619 births
- 1980s 1,657
1980s
1,657 births
- 1990s
1990s
6,377 births
- 2000s
2000s
9,877 births
- 2010s
2010s
4,259 births
- 2020s 1,446
2020s
1,446 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 9,877 births (40% of all-time use).
How Paola compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Paola's total volume
Paola vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Paola by state
Where Paola concentrates geographically, total births since 1950
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 7,713 | 31.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 5,085 | 20.8% |
| #3 | Florida | | 1,622 | 6.6% |
| #4 | New York | | 1,593 | 6.5% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 1,195 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Arizona | | 836 | 3.4% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 545 | 2.2% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 505 | 2.1% |
California share of Paola's total US births 31.5%
Even split
7,713 of 24,496 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 39 reporting states.
Paola appears in 39 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Paola? ▼
24,496 babies have been named Paola since 1950. It currently ranks #1080 among girls. The peak year was 2006 with 1,089 births.
When was Paola most popular? ▼
Paola was most popular in the 2000s decade with 9,877 total births. The single peak year was 2006.
Where is Paola most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Paola are California (7,713 births), Texas (5,085 births), Florida (1,622 births).
How long has the name Paola been used? ▼
Paola has been recorded in Social Security data since 1950, spanning 76 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Paola? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Paolina. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Paola's data
- Paola's decade-level peak was the 2000s (9,877 total births); usage has since declined to 1,446 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Paolas (7,713 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Paola
Nearby Names Like Paola
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Paola
Compare Paola side by side: Paola vs Paolina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Paola
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1950–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Paola: #1080 Girls' Name - 24,496 Births, Peak 2006." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/paola. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Paola draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.