Girl · #1,102 in 2026

Paola

Paola is a female given name, the Italian form of the name Paula. In Greek it is Polina. Notable people with the name include:

Current Rank
#1,102
Peak Rank
#300 (2006)
Total Babies
25K
5-Yr Trend
-17%
1950
First Year
2026
Last Year
2006
Peak Year
#300
Peak Rank
25K
Total Count
73
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Paola

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Paola is a female given name, the Italian form of the name Paula. In Greek it is Polina. Notable people with the name include:

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Paola

Paola first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1950, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2006, when 1,089 Paolas were born — ranking #302 that year. As of 2026, Paola ranks #1,102 for baby girls with 221 births, falling sharply (-17%). In total, more than 25K Paolas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Paola

Phonetically similar names — useful when Paola is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Paola

What does the name Paola mean?
Paola is a female given name, the Italian form of the name Paula. In Greek it is Polina. Notable people with the name include:
How popular is Paola in 2026?
In 2026, Paola ranks #1,102 among girls' names in the U.S., with 221 babies given the name that year.
When was Paola most popular?
Paola reached its peak popularity in 2006, ranking #300 that year with 1,089 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Paola most popular?
Paola has historically been most popular in Puerto Rico, District of Columbia, California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Paola.
Is Paola a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Paola is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Paola?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Paola include Ona, Georgianna, Raya. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Paola

Paola is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1950 and has accumulated 25K births in the dataset. Paola's peak popularity came in 2006 when it ranked #300. Use the chart and map above to compare Paola's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.