Girl · #3,161 in 2026

Pauline

Pauline is a female given name. It was originally the French form of Paulina, a female version of Paulinus, a variant of Paulus meaning the little, hence the younger.

Current Rank
#3,161
Peak Rank
#32 (1918)
Total Babies
226K
5-Yr Trend
-3%
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
1918
Peak Year
#32
Peak Rank
226K
Total Count
147
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Pauline

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

Pauline is a female given name. It was originally the French form of Paulina, a female version of Paulinus, a variant of Paulus meaning the little, hence the younger.

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

The Story of Pauline

Pauline first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 144 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1918, when 7,222 Paulines were born — ranking #35 that year. As of 2026, Pauline ranks #3,161 for baby girls with 51 births, holding steady (-3%). In total, more than 226K Paulines have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s 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

Notable people named Pauline

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Pauline Adams (1874–1958), Irish-American suffragist
  • Pauline Ado (b. 1991), French professional surfer
  • Pauline Alderman (1893–1983), US musicologist and composer
  • Pauline Allen (b. 1948), Australian scholar of early Christianity
  • Pauline Amelinckx (b. 1995), Filipina model
  • Pauline Amos , British performance artist
  • Pauline Antoine-Prospere , Saint Lucian politician
  • Pauline Armitage , Northern Ireland politician

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

Names that sound like Pauline

Phonetically similar names — useful when Pauline 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 Pauline

What does the name Pauline mean?
Pauline is a female given name. It was originally the French form of Paulina, a female version of Paulinus, a variant of Paulus meaning the little, hence the younger.
How popular is Pauline in 2026?
In 2026, Pauline ranks #3,161 among girls' names in the U.S., with 51 babies given the name that year.
When was Pauline most popular?
Pauline reached its peak popularity in 1918, ranking #32 that year with 7,222 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Pauline most popular?
Pauline has historically been most popular in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Pauline.
Is Pauline a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Pauline is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Pauline?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Pauline include Theresa, Nova, Stacy. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Pauline

Pauline is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 226K births in the dataset. Pauline's peak popularity came in 1918 when it ranked #32. Use the chart and map above to compare Pauline'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.