Paul
Paul is a common Latin masculine given name in countries and ethnicities with a Christian heritage and, beyond Europe, in Christian religious communities throughout the world. Paul – or its variations – can be a given name or surname.
Meaning & Origin of Paul
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Paul is a common Latin masculine given name in countries and ethnicities with a Christian heritage and, beyond Europe, in Christian religious communities throughout the world. Paul – or its variations – can be a given name or surname.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Paul
Paul first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 301 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1957, when 27,012 Pauls were born — ranking #18 that year. As of 2026, Paul ranks #264 for baby boys with 1,305 births, gradually falling (-13%). In total, more than 1.4M Pauls have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Paul
Phonetically similar names — useful when Paul 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 Paul
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About the name Paul
Paul is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 1.4M births in the dataset. Paul's peak popularity came in 1957 when it ranked #12. Use the chart and map above to compare Paul's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1957 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "P" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.