ESC 

Name Rank Total 

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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 ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paola) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paola)

### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

* Italian

📖

## 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. The name hit its high-water mark in 2006: 1,089 births, good for #302 nationwide. About 40% of every Paola on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Paola ranks #1,102 for baby girls with 221 births, falling sharply (-17%). All told, over 25K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to 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. 

* [Paula](/paula)
* [Pala](/pala)
* Polla
* [Pella](/pella)
* [Paolo](/paolo)
* Pilla
* [Pola](/pola)
* Pula
* Pila
* [Pela](/pela)
* Palla
* Paoli

Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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:

What is the origin of the name Paola?

Paola has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Italian.

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.

## Similar Names

[👧OnaPeak #300](/ona)[👧GeorgiannaPeak #300](/georgianna)[👧RayaPeak #300](/raya)[👧TennillePeak #300](/tennille)[👧ZulaPeak #301](/zula)[👧IndiaPeak #299](/india)[👧AlinePeak #301](/aline)[👧ConcettaPeak #299](/concetta)

## 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 

* [ Top names of 2006 → ](/year/2006)
* [ Names of the 2000s → ](/decade/2000s)
* [ Names starting with "P" → ](/letter/p)
* [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls)
* [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026)

Data sources

* Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms).
* Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
* Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/).
* Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/).

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.