Total births
20,137
Girls' name · since 1880
Paulina
20,137 babies named Paulina in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2002. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #782
- among girls today
- 20,137
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
20,137 babies have been named Paulina since 1880, making it today's #782 girls' name.
Paulina has 20,137 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #782 as of the latest data, more common than 96% 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 1880 to 2025.
- #782 among girls today
- 20,137 born since 1880
- 2000s peak decade
- 96% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Paulina is currently the #782 girls' name in America, more common than 96% of girls - 20,137 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.
- #782
- among girls today
- 20,137
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Paulina vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#782
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 96% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
33% of everyone ever named Paulina was born in this single decade.
2002
Single peak year
822 babies were named Paulina in 2002 - its busiest year on record.
How Paulina compares
20,137 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Paulina's all-time total is 53x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Paulina | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 20,137 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 822 | 48 | 19,840 |
Paulina's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Paulina's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 93% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 7%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1885, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2002 peak of 822, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Paulina at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2002
Current rank
#782
Active since
1880
Paulina popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2002)
- 822
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Paulina popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 1999 (Paulina as boys' name)
Paulina by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Paulina's strongest decade.
6,562 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Paulina births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 86
1880s
86 births
- 1890s 120
1890s
120 births
- 1900s 89
1900s
89 births
- 1910s 232
1910s
232 births
- 1920s 474
1920s
474 births
- 1930s 246
1930s
246 births
- 1940s 179
1940s
179 births
- 1950s 228
1950s
228 births
- 1960s 326
1960s
326 births
- 1970s 451
1970s
451 births
- 1980s 1,110
1980s
1,110 births
- 1990s
1990s
4,634 births
- 2000s
2000s
6,562 births
- 2010s
2010s
3,289 births
- 2020s 2,111
2020s
2,111 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 6,562 births (33% of all-time use).
How Paulina 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 Paulina's total volume
Paulina vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Paulina by state
Where Paulina concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 5,831 | 29.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 3,755 | 18.6% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 987 | 4.9% |
| #4 | New York | | 939 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Florida | | 917 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Arizona | | 862 | 4.3% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 381 | 1.9% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 292 | 1.5% |
California share of Paulina's total US births 29.0%
Even split
5,831 of 20,137 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 34 reporting states.
Paulina appears in 34 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Paulina? ▼
20,137 babies have been named Paulina since 1880. It currently ranks #782 among girls. The peak year was 2002 with 822 births.
When was Paulina most popular? ▼
Paulina was most popular in the 2000s decade with 6,562 total births. The single peak year was 2002.
Where is Paulina most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Paulina are California (5,831 births), Texas (3,755 births), Illinois (987 births).
How long has the name Paulina been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Paulina since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Paulina? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Paula, Pauline, Paulette, Paul, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Paulina's data
- Paulina's decade-level peak was the 2000s (6,562 total births); usage has since declined to 2,111 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Paulinas (5,831 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 Paulina
Nearby Names Like Paulina
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Paulina
Paula Girl
#752 280,856 births
Pauline Girl
#3459 226,404 births
Paulette Girl
#1406 47,087 births
Paul Girl
5,842 births
Pauletta Girl
2,522 births
Compare Paulina side by side: Paulina vs Paula Paulina vs Pauline Paulina vs Paulette
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Paulina
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. "Paulina: #782 Girls' Name - 20,137 Births, Peak 2002." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/paulina. 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 Paulina 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.