Boys' name · since 1880
Paul
Paul has 1,398,293 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1957 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #17 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #262 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,398,293
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
1,398,293 babies have been named Paul since 1880, making it today's #262 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Paul recorded 1,398,293 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #262 nationally today, ahead of 98% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #17 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #262 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,398,293 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Paul ranks #17 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #262 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,398,293 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #17 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #262 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,398,293
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Paul's 1,398,293 recorded births place it above 99.96% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Paul compares
1,398,293 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Paul's all-time total is 3,789x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Paul | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,398,293 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 27,012 | 34 | 22,252 |
Paul's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Paul splits its recorded history at 1953: 56% of all births land in the more recent half, 44% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1881 (291 births) -- compare that against the 1957 peak of 27,012 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Paul popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1957)
- 27,012
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Paul popularity over time - girls
5,842 total births recorded since 1884 (Paul as girls' name)
Paul by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (253,202 births, 18% of the file).
1950s was Paul's strongest decade.
253,202 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Paul births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 4,196
1880s
4,196 births
- 1890s 8,181
1890s
8,181 births
- 1900s 12,636
1900s
12,636 births
- 1910s 78,216
1910s
78,216 births
- 1920s
1920s
132,384 births
- 1930s
1930s
125,774 births
- 1940s
1940s
183,364 births
- 1950s
1950s
253,202 births
- 1960s
1960s
242,503 births
- 1970s
1970s
136,390 births
- 1980s
1980s
104,397 births
- 1990s 58,931
1990s
58,931 births
- 2000s 30,964
2000s
30,964 births
- 2010s 19,030
2010s
19,030 births
- 2020s 8,125
2020s
8,125 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 253,202 births (18% of all-time use).
How Paul compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Paul's total volume
Paul by state
Where Paul concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 133,658 | 9.6% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 105,172 | 7.5% |
| #3 | California | | 104,294 | 7.5% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 81,792 | 5.8% |
| #5 | Massachusetts | | 78,627 | 5.6% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 72,691 | 5.2% |
| #7 | Texas | | 61,190 | 4.4% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 59,525 | 4.3% |
133,658 of 1,398,293 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Paul appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Paul? ▼
Where does Paul sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Paul most popular? ▼
Where is Paul most popular? ▼
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What names are similar to Paul? ▼
What to do with Paul's data
- Paul's decade-level peak was the 1950s (253,202 total births); usage has since declined to 8,125 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Pauls (133,658 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Paul
Nearby Names Like Paul
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Paul
Compare Paul side by side: Paul vs Paulo Paul vs Paulino Paul vs Paula
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Paul
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Paul: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1957)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Paul 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 August 2026.