Total births
280,856
Girls' name · since 1880
Paula
Paula has 280,856 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1963 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #752
- among girls today
- 280,856
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Paula is the #752 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 280,856 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Paula has been recorded 280,856 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #752 nationally and more common than 96% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #752 among girls today
- 280,856 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 96% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Paula is currently the #752 girls' name in America, more common than 96% of girls - 280,856 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #752
- among girls today
- 280,856
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Paula vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#752
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 96% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
30% of everyone ever named Paula was born in this single decade.
1963
Single peak year
10,156 babies were named Paula in 1963 - its busiest year on record.
How Paula compares
280,856 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Paula's all-time total is 735x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Paula | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 280,856 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 10,156 | 48 | 19,840 |
Paula's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Paula's full recorded timeline at 1953, 72% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 28% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1963 peak of 10,156 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Paula at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1963
Current rank
#752
Active since
1880
Paula popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1963)
- 10,156
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Paula popularity over time - boys
913 total births recorded since 1917 (Paula as boys' name)
Paula by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Paula's strongest decade.
84,869 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 30% of all-time use.
Paula births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 178
1880s
178 births
- 1890s 424
1890s
424 births
- 1900s 666
1900s
666 births
- 1910s 2,022
1910s
2,022 births
- 1920s 4,554
1920s
4,554 births
- 1930s 8,861
1930s
8,861 births
- 1940s
1940s
39,044 births
- 1950s
1950s
84,869 births
- 1960s
1960s
80,512 births
- 1970s 32,724
1970s
32,724 births
- 1980s 11,072
1980s
11,072 births
- 1990s 6,330
1990s
6,330 births
- 2000s 4,177
2000s
4,177 births
- 2010s 3,310
2010s
3,310 births
- 2020s 2,113
2020s
2,113 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 84,869 births (30% of all-time use).
How Paula 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 Paula's total volume
Paula vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Paula by state
Where Paula concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 23,947 | 8.5% |
| #2 | California | | 22,857 | 8.1% |
| #3 | New York | | 19,672 | 7.0% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 15,048 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 14,500 | 5.2% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 13,604 | 4.8% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 13,541 | 4.8% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 11,382 | 4.1% |
Texas share of Paula's total US births 8.5%
Even split
23,947 of 280,856 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Paula appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Paula? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 280,856 babies named Paula. Today it holds rank #752 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1963, with 10,156 births.
When was Paula most popular? ▼
Paula was most popular in the 1950s decade with 84,869 total births. The single peak year was 1963.
Where is Paula most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Paula are Texas (23,947 births), California (22,857 births), New York (19,672 births).
How long has the name Paula been used? ▼
Paula has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Paula? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Pauline, Paulette, Paulina, Paul, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Paula's data
- Paula's decade-level peak was the 1950s (84,869 total births); usage has since declined to 2,113 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Paulas (23,947 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 Paula
Nearby Names Like Paula
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Paula
Pauline Girl
#3459 226,404 births
Paulette Girl
#1406 47,087 births
Paulina Girl
#782 20,137 births
Paul Girl
5,842 births
Pauletta Girl
2,522 births
Compare Paula side by side: Paula vs Pauline Paula vs Paulette Paula vs Paulina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Paula
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Paula: #752 Girls' Name - 280,856 Births, Peak 1963." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/paula. 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 Paula 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.