Paul
Paul was given to 1,316 boys in 2025, #262 among boys’ names; 1,404,135 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 798,000 Americans named Paul and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (57% of everyone recorded); the median is 60 years old and half are between 45 and 70.
Paul is the #28 most common first name among living American men and boys, by this estimate.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Paul by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Paul mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Paul is “a male given name from Latin of biblical origin.” Its etymology gives the sense “small” (paulus).
From Latin Paulus, from paulus (“small”). Doublet of Pablo and Paolo.
/pɔl/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Paul?
#262 among boys’ names, 2025
Paul fell from #200 in 2015 to #262 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 1.1 to 0.77 per 1,000.
27,076 babies in 1957, the peak
Paul peaked in 1957, when 27,076 babies were given it (27,012 boys, #18 among boys’ names). The 1,316 births of 2025 are 5% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,316 | #262 | 0.77 |
| 2024 | 1,330 | #262 | 0.77 |
| 2023 | 1,359 | #256 | 0.79 |
| 2022 | 1,334 | #262 | 0.76 |
| 2021 | 1,385 | #257 | 0.79 |
| 2020 | 1,401 | #252 | 0.81 |
| 2019 | 1,513 | #245 | 0.84 |
| 2018 | 1,635 | #234 | 0.90 |
| 2017 | 1,699 | #225 | 0.92 |
| 2016 | 1,941 | #206 | 1.0 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2,032 | #200 | 1.1 |
| 2014 | 2,007 | #201 | 1.0 |
| 2013 | 2,038 | #198 | 1.1 |
| 2012 | 1,958 | #190 | 1.0 |
| 2011 | 2,078 | #186 | 1.1 |
| 2010 | 2,129 | #177 | 1.1 |
| 2009 | 2,428 | #160 | 1.2 |
| 2008 | 2,555 | #154 | 1.3 |
| 2007 | 2,771 | #147 | 1.3 |
| 2006 | 3,037 | #132 | 1.5 |
| 2005 | 3,145 | #130 | 1.6 |
| 2004 | 3,191 | #127 | 1.6 |
| 2003 | 3,256 | #123 | 1.6 |
| 2002 | 3,263 | #118 | 1.7 |
| 2001 | 3,523 | #109 | 1.8 |
| 2000 | 3,795 | #100 | 1.9 |
| 1999 | 4,020 | #94 | 2.1 |
| 1998 | 4,321 | #89 | 2.3 |
| 1997 | 4,752 | #79 | 2.5 |
| 1996 | 4,883 | #78 | 2.6 |
| 1995 | 5,414 | #71 | 2.8 |
| 1994 | 5,798 | #64 | 3.0 |
| 1993 | 6,481 | #56 | 3.3 |
| 1992 | 7,003 | #55 | 3.5 |
| 1991 | 7,680 | #53 | 3.8 |
| 1990 | 8,579 | #49 | 4.2 |
| 1989 | 9,029 | #49 | 4.5 |
| 1988 | 9,438 | #46 | 4.9 |
| 1987 | 9,707 | #46 | 5.2 |
| 1986 | 9,715 | #45 | 5.3 |
| 1985 | 10,315 | #42 | 5.6 |
| 1984 | 10,460 | #40 | 5.8 |
| 1983 | 10,828 | #39 | 6.0 |
| 1982 | 11,310 | #35 | 6.2 |
| 1981 | 11,776 | #35 | 6.6 |
| 1980 | 11,819 | #35 | 6.6 |
| 1979 | 11,630 | #34 | 6.8 |
| 1978 | 11,733 | #33 | 7.1 |
| 1977 | 11,798 | #31 | 7.2 |
| 1976 | 11,781 | #28 | 7.5 |
| 1975 | 12,017 | #29 | 7.7 |
| 1974 | 12,310 | #27 | 7.8 |
| 1973 | 12,901 | #24 | 8.3 |
| 1972 | 14,555 | #24 | 9.0 |
| 1971 | 17,469 | #24 | 9.9 |
| 1970 | 20,196 | #23 | 10.9 |
| 1969 | 20,690 | #22 | 11.6 |
| 1968 | 21,865 | #19 | 12.6 |
| 1967 | 22,821 | #18 | 13.1 |
| 1966 | 23,578 | #18 | 13.2 |
| 1965 | 24,919 | #16 | 13.4 |
| 1964 | 26,874 | #16 | 13.5 |
| 1963 | 26,672 | #17 | 13.1 |
| 1962 | 23,802 | #19 | 11.5 |
| 1961 | 25,640 | #18 | 12.1 |
| 1960 | 25,642 | #18 | 12.0 |
| 1959 | 25,712 | #17 | 12.0 |
| 1958 | 26,264 | #15 | 12.4 |
| 1957 | 27,012 | #18 | 12.5 |
| 1956 | 26,897 | #17 | 12.7 |
| 1955 | 26,701 | #16 | 13.0 |
| 1954 | 26,220 | #16 | 12.9 |
| 1953 | 25,509 | #16 | 12.9 |
| 1952 | 24,292 | #19 | 12.5 |
| 1951 | 22,853 | #18 | 12.1 |
| 1950 | 21,742 | #18 | 12.1 |
| 1949 | 21,589 | #17 | 12.2 |
| 1948 | 21,252 | #18 | 12.1 |
| 1947 | 22,796 | #18 | 12.5 |
| 1946 | 21,063 | #18 | 13.0 |
| 1945 | 16,995 | #17 | 12.6 |
| 1944 | 16,661 | #17 | 12.2 |
| 1943 | 17,253 | #19 | 12.1 |
| 1942 | 16,492 | #19 | 11.9 |
| 1941 | 15,166 | #18 | 12.3 |
| 1940 | 14,097 | #17 | 12.2 |
| 1939 | 13,337 | #17 | 12.0 |
| 1938 | 13,360 | #15 | 12.0 |
| 1937 | 12,881 | #15 | 12.1 |
| 1936 | 12,307 | #15 | 11.9 |
| 1935 | 12,563 | #14 | 12.1 |
| 1934 | 12,196 | #14 | 11.8 |
| 1933 | 11,854 | #14 | 12.0 |
| 1932 | 12,066 | #13 | 11.6 |
| 1931 | 12,255 | #12 | 11.8 |
| 1930 | 12,955 | #12 | 11.8 |
| 1929 | 12,431 | #13 | 11.6 |
| 1928 | 13,160 | #13 | 11.9 |
| 1927 | 13,604 | #13 | 12.1 |
| 1926 | 13,653 | #13 | 12.3 |
| 1925 | 14,175 | #13 | 12.7 |
| 1924 | 13,338 | #14 | 11.8 |
| 1923 | 13,362 | #14 | 12.2 |
| 1922 | 12,922 | #14 | 11.9 |
| 1921 | 13,169 | #14 | 12.0 |
| 1920 | 12,570 | #14 | 11.8 |
| 1919 | 11,305 | #15 | 11.5 |
| 1918 | 11,755 | #14 | 11.6 |
| 1917 | 11,156 | #13 | 12.1 |
| 1916 | 10,790 | #12 | 12.1 |
| 1915 | 10,328 | #13 | 12.2 |
| 1914 | 7,733 | #13 | 11.8 |
| 1913 | 5,966 | #14 | 11.6 |
| 1912 | 4,785 | #14 | 11.1 |
| 1911 | 2,393 | #17 | 10.6 |
| 1910 | 2,005 | #15 | 10.3 |
| 1909 | 1,676 | #17 | 10.2 |
| 1908 | 1,478 | #18 | 9.6 |
| 1907 | 1,358 | #20 | 9.2 |
| 1906 | 1,308 | #19 | 9.8 |
| 1905 | 1,262 | #19 | 9.5 |
| 1904 | 1,194 | #19 | 9.3 |
| 1903 | 1,081 | #19 | 9.1 |
| 1902 | 1,067 | #20 | 8.7 |
| 1901 | 924 | #19 | 8.7 |
| 1900 | 1,288 | #19 | 8.6 |
| 1899 | 885 | #21 | 8.3 |
| 1898 | 991 | #21 | 8.1 |
| 1897 | 923 | #20 | 8.2 |
| 1896 | 964 | #20 | 8.1 |
| 1895 | 933 | #20 | 7.9 |
| 1894 | 824 | #23 | 7.1 |
| 1893 | 743 | #25 | 6.6 |
| 1892 | 747 | #29 | 6.1 |
| 1891 | 564 | #31 | 5.6 |
| 1890 | 607 | #31 | 5.5 |
| 1889 | 555 | #35 | 5.0 |
| 1888 | 529 | #38 | 4.4 |
| 1887 | 449 | #40 | 4.4 |
| 1886 | 466 | #38 | 4.2 |
| 1885 | 428 | #43 | 4.0 |
| 1884 | 422 | #45 | 3.7 |
| 1883 | 358 | #48 | 3.4 |
| 1882 | 397 | #44 | 3.5 |
| 1881 | 291 | #55 | 2.9 |
| 1880 | 301 | #60 | 2.7 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Paul a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Paul has been given almost only to boys: 5,842 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Paul: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Paul, and how old are they?
798,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 57% of the 1,404,135 Americans ever recorded as Paul. The median Paul alive today is 60 years old; half are between 45 and 70.
The 2020 Census counted 907,225 people named Paul (1,109 women and girls, 906,116 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 885,275 born in the U.S. The Census count is 2% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 52,200 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 313,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 230,000 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 132,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 49,400 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 20,800 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Paul born?
The states with the most babies named Paul are New York, Pennsylvania and California, with 25% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 134,024 | #238 | 1.1× |
| Pennsylvania | 105,420 | #215 | 1.2× |
| California | 104,634 | #310 | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 81,940 | #225 | 1.1× |
| Massachusetts | 78,729 | #213 | 1.9× |
| Illinois | 72,862 | #394 | 1.0× |
| Texas | 61,407 | #295 | 0.7× |
| Michigan | 59,608 | #269 | 1.0× |
| New Jersey | 43,416 | #238 | 1.0× |
| Indiana | 37,650 | #251 | 1.0× |
Where Paul is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Paul is most over-represented in Massachusetts: since 1910 it was given 1.9 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Paul with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 1,404,337 babies since 1880, Paul is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 1,316 of their 1,316 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Paul
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Paul and names like it
- Compare Paul and PalBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sPaul peaked in 1957.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Paul since 1910.
- Latin namesWiktionary’s origin for Paul: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1957The year the most babies were named Paul.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Paul alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with PMost given first.