Pauline
Pauline was given to 56 girls in 2025, #2,986 among girls’ names; 227,179 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 49,700 Americans named Pauline and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (22% of everyone recorded); the median is 73 years old and half are between 60 and 83.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Pauline by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Pauline mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Pauline is “a female given name from Latin.”
From French Pauline, in turn from Latin Paulīna; in regular use since the 19th century. By surface analysis, Paul + -ine (feminine suffix).
/pɔˈlin/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Pauline?
#2,986 among girls’ names, 2025
Pauline fell from #2,371 in 2015 to #2,986 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 43.7 to 34.8 per million.
7,238 babies in 1918, the peak
Pauline peaked in 1918, when 7,238 babies were given it (7,222 girls, #35 among girls’ names). The 56 births of 2025 are under 1% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 56 | #2,986 | 0.03 |
| 2024 | 45 | #3,494 | 0.03 |
| 2023 | 63 | #2,752 | 0.04 |
| 2022 | 58 | #2,919 | 0.04 |
| 2021 | 49 | #3,287 | 0.03 |
| 2020 | 53 | #3,055 | 0.03 |
| 2019 | 50 | #3,210 | 0.03 |
| 2018 | 62 | #2,771 | 0.04 |
| 2017 | 60 | #2,830 | 0.03 |
| 2016 | 63 | #2,754 | 0.04 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 78 | #2,371 | 0.04 |
| 2014 | 68 | #2,607 | 0.04 |
| 2013 | 64 | #2,718 | 0.04 |
| 2012 | 66 | #2,704 | 0.04 |
| 2011 | 68 | #2,632 | 0.04 |
| 2010 | 54 | #3,110 | 0.03 |
| 2009 | 56 | #3,080 | 0.03 |
| 2008 | 68 | #2,713 | 0.04 |
| 2007 | 95 | #2,128 | 0.05 |
| 2006 | 88 | #2,200 | 0.05 |
| 2005 | 114 | #1,735 | 0.06 |
| 2004 | 105 | #1,817 | 0.06 |
| 2003 | 150 | #1,355 | 0.08 |
| 2002 | 145 | #1,341 | 0.08 |
| 2001 | 129 | #1,462 | 0.07 |
| 2000 | 147 | #1,301 | 0.08 |
| 1999 | 147 | #1,265 | 0.08 |
| 1998 | 155 | #1,198 | 0.09 |
| 1997 | 201 | #974 | 0.12 |
| 1996 | 192 | #984 | 0.11 |
| 1995 | 212 | #894 | 0.12 |
| 1994 | 226 | #866 | 0.13 |
| 1993 | 260 | #786 | 0.14 |
| 1992 | 223 | #887 | 0.12 |
| 1991 | 295 | #715 | 0.16 |
| 1990 | 275 | #755 | 0.14 |
| 1989 | 266 | #740 | 0.14 |
| 1988 | 222 | #821 | 0.12 |
| 1987 | 212 | #825 | 0.12 |
| 1986 | 219 | #776 | 0.13 |
| 1985 | 238 | #724 | 0.14 |
| 1984 | 231 | #716 | 0.14 |
| 1983 | 254 | #676 | 0.15 |
| 1982 | 256 | #685 | 0.15 |
| 1981 | 298 | #611 | 0.18 |
| 1980 | 290 | #630 | 0.17 |
| 1979 | 273 | #638 | 0.17 |
| 1978 | 314 | #555 | 0.20 |
| 1977 | 292 | #590 | 0.19 |
| 1976 | 326 | #536 | 0.22 |
| 1975 | 340 | #520 | 0.23 |
| 1974 | 387 | #465 | 0.26 |
| 1973 | 432 | #441 | 0.30 |
| 1972 | 466 | #418 | 0.31 |
| 1971 | 548 | #396 | 0.33 |
| 1970 | 633 | #378 | 0.36 |
| 1969 | 647 | #359 | 0.38 |
| 1968 | 692 | #333 | 0.42 |
| 1967 | 695 | #333 | 0.42 |
| 1966 | 795 | #316 | 0.47 |
| 1965 | 873 | #306 | 0.49 |
| 1964 | 1,024 | #287 | 0.54 |
| 1963 | 1,030 | #284 | 0.53 |
| 1962 | 929 | #304 | 0.47 |
| 1961 | 1,141 | #267 | 0.57 |
| 1960 | 1,113 | #268 | 0.55 |
| 1959 | 1,217 | #249 | 0.60 |
| 1958 | 1,209 | #248 | 0.60 |
| 1957 | 1,343 | #229 | 0.66 |
| 1956 | 1,369 | #221 | 0.68 |
| 1955 | 1,351 | #221 | 0.69 |
| 1954 | 1,423 | #210 | 0.73 |
| 1953 | 1,570 | #198 | 0.83 |
| 1952 | 1,595 | #186 | 0.86 |
| 1951 | 1,621 | #180 | 0.90 |
| 1950 | 1,739 | #163 | 1.0 |
| 1949 | 1,917 | #156 | 1.1 |
| 1948 | 1,965 | #145 | 1.2 |
| 1947 | 2,178 | #137 | 1.2 |
| 1946 | 2,055 | #133 | 1.3 |
| 1945 | 1,975 | #125 | 1.5 |
| 1944 | 2,128 | #124 | 1.6 |
| 1943 | 2,459 | #112 | 1.8 |
| 1942 | 2,474 | #112 | 1.8 |
| 1941 | 2,352 | #109 | 1.9 |
| 1940 | 2,409 | #104 | 2.1 |
| 1939 | 2,414 | #105 | 2.2 |
| 1938 | 2,666 | #97 | 2.4 |
| 1937 | 2,818 | #87 | 2.6 |
| 1936 | 2,981 | #82 | 2.9 |
| 1935 | 3,076 | #80 | 2.9 |
| 1934 | 3,445 | #71 | 3.3 |
| 1933 | 3,542 | #64 | 3.5 |
| 1932 | 3,901 | #59 | 3.7 |
| 1931 | 4,192 | #56 | 3.9 |
| 1930 | 4,655 | #52 | 4.1 |
| 1929 | 5,026 | #50 | 4.5 |
| 1928 | 5,391 | #48 | 4.7 |
| 1927 | 6,011 | #42 | 5.0 |
| 1926 | 6,357 | #39 | 5.4 |
| 1925 | 6,728 | #38 | 5.5 |
| 1924 | 6,722 | #38 | 5.4 |
| 1923 | 6,707 | #37 | 5.6 |
| 1922 | 6,811 | #36 | 5.7 |
| 1921 | 7,142 | #37 | 5.8 |
| 1920 | 7,180 | #36 | 6.0 |
| 1919 | 6,973 | #36 | 6.2 |
| 1918 | 7,222 | #35 | 6.2 |
| 1917 | 6,896 | #33 | 6.4 |
| 1916 | 6,655 | #33 | 6.4 |
| 1915 | 6,334 | #32 | 6.4 |
| 1914 | 4,698 | #34 | 6.2 |
| 1913 | 3,636 | #35 | 5.8 |
| 1912 | 3,163 | #38 | 5.7 |
| 1911 | 2,345 | #38 | 5.6 |
| 1910 | 2,153 | #42 | 5.4 |
| 1909 | 1,896 | #48 | 5.5 |
| 1908 | 1,702 | #51 | 5.1 |
| 1907 | 1,591 | #52 | 5.0 |
| 1906 | 1,428 | #53 | 4.8 |
| 1905 | 1,381 | #54 | 4.7 |
| 1904 | 1,243 | #56 | 4.5 |
| 1903 | 1,042 | #62 | 4.0 |
| 1902 | 985 | #70 | 3.7 |
| 1901 | 938 | #64 | 3.9 |
| 1900 | 1,104 | #71 | 3.7 |
| 1899 | 811 | #72 | 3.5 |
| 1898 | 900 | #70 | 3.5 |
| 1897 | 777 | #72 | 3.3 |
| 1896 | 756 | #75 | 3.2 |
| 1895 | 734 | #76 | 3.1 |
| 1894 | 656 | #80 | 2.9 |
| 1893 | 545 | #86 | 2.6 |
| 1892 | 526 | #92 | 2.5 |
| 1891 | 455 | #93 | 2.5 |
| 1890 | 475 | #90 | 2.5 |
| 1889 | 415 | #95 | 2.3 |
| 1888 | 393 | #98 | 2.2 |
| 1887 | 314 | #104 | 2.2 |
| 1886 | 276 | #111 | 1.9 |
| 1885 | 254 | #109 | 1.9 |
| 1884 | 230 | #114 | 1.8 |
| 1883 | 198 | #113 | 1.8 |
| 1882 | 204 | #108 | 1.9 |
| 1881 | 166 | #110 | 1.8 |
| 1880 | 144 | #115 | 1.6 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Pauline a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Pauline has been given almost only to girls: 775 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Pauline: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Pauline, and how old are they?
49,700 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 22% of the 227,179 Americans ever recorded as Pauline. The median Pauline alive today is 73 years old; half are between 60 and 83.
The 2020 Census counted 70,447 people named Pauline (70,334 women and girls, 113 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 66,045 born in the U.S. The Census count is 7% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 14,300 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 21,100 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 7,360 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 3,770 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,770 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 764 |
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 Pauline born?
The states with the most babies named Pauline are Pennsylvania, New York and Texas, with 21% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 17,289 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| New York | 15,045 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Texas | 10,399 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Massachusetts | 10,318 | not ranked | 1.5× |
| Ohio | 9,756 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| California | 8,923 | #2,234 | 1.0× |
| North Carolina | 8,026 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 7,754 | #1,574 | 0.7× |
| Kentucky | 6,754 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| Michigan | 6,418 | not ranked | 0.8× |
Where Pauline is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Pauline is most over-represented in New Hampshire: since 1910 it was given 2.9 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 girls’ 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 Pauline 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 6 names spelled alike, given to 249,378 babies since 1880, Pauline is the most given (91% of them). In 2025 it was given to 56 of their 410 babies (14%), the second most given that year.
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 Pauline
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 Pauline and names like it
- Compare Pauline and PaulinaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sPauline peaked in 1918.
- Pennsylvania’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Pauline since 1910.
- Latin namesWiktionary’s origin for Pauline: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1918The year the most babies were named Pauline.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Pauline alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with PMost given first.