Girls' name · since 1880
Pauline
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 226,404 babies named Pauline, peaking in 1918. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #177 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,957 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 226,404
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Pauline is the #2957 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 226,404 recorded since 1880.
Pauline has 226,404 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2957 as of the latest data, more common than 83% of girls, busiest in the 1920s -- 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.
- #177 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,957 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 226,404 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Pauline ranks #177 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,957 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 226,404 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #177 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,957 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 226,404
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Pauline's 226,404 recorded births place it above 99.75% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Pennsylvania.
How Pauline compares
226,404 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,297 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
Pauline's all-time total is 602x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Pauline | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 226,404 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 7,222 | 21 | 19,840 |
Pauline's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Pauline's full recorded timeline at 1953, 13% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 87% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2024, with just 45 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 7,222 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Pauline popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 7,222
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Pauline popularity over time - boys
775 total births recorded since 1893 (Pauline as boys' name)
Pauline by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (64,075 births, 28% of the file).
1920s was Pauline's strongest decade.
64,075 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Pauline births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,594
1880s
2,594 births
- 1890s 6,635
1890s
6,635 births
- 1900s 13,310
1900s
13,310 births
- 1910s
1910s
50,075 births
- 1920s
1920s
64,075 births
- 1930s
1930s
33,690 births
- 1940s 21,912
1940s
21,912 births
- 1950s 14,437
1950s
14,437 births
- 1960s 8,939
1960s
8,939 births
- 1970s 4,011
1970s
4,011 births
- 1980s 2,486
1980s
2,486 births
- 1990s 2,186
1990s
2,186 births
- 2000s 1,097
2000s
1,097 births
- 2010s 633
2010s
633 births
- 2020s 324
2020s
324 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 64,075 births (28% of all-time use).
How Pauline 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 Pauline's total volume
Pauline by state
Where Pauline concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 17,289 | 7.6% |
| #2 | New York | | 15,045 | 6.6% |
| #3 | Texas | | 10,387 | 4.6% |
| #4 | Massachusetts | | 10,318 | 4.6% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 9,756 | 4.3% |
| #6 | California | | 8,923 | 3.9% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 8,021 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 7,754 | 3.4% |
17,289 of 226,404 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Pauline appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Pauline? ▼
Where does Pauline sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Pauline most popular? ▼
Where is Pauline most popular? ▼
How long has the name Pauline been used? ▼
What names are similar to Pauline? ▼
What to do with Pauline's data
- Pauline's decade-level peak was the 1920s (64,075 total births); usage has since declined to 324 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Paulines (17,289 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Pauline
Nearby Names Like Pauline
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Pauline
Compare Pauline side by side: Pauline vs Paula Pauline vs Paulette Pauline vs Paulina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Pauline
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Pauline: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1918)
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 Pauline 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.