Girl · #9,172 in 2026

Paw

Name: Popularity of the name Paw in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Paw, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

A paw is the soft foot-like part of a mammal, generally a quadruped, that has claws. To paw is for an animal to use their paws, usually gently or for digging, or for a human to use their hands in the manner of an animal's paw.

Current Rank

#9,172

Peak Rank

#5,129 (2016)

Total Babies

274

5-Yr Trend

-28%

2008

First Year

2026

Last Year

2016

Peak Year

#5129

Peak Rank

274

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Paw

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

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

The Story of Paw

Paw first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 2008, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2016, when 26 Paws were born — ranking #5,129 that year. As of 2026, Paw ranks #9,172 for baby girls with 9 births, falling sharply (-28%). In total, more than 274 Paws have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 2000s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Paw

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

Paugh
Pa
Pow
Powe
Pau
Pao
Paa
Pough
Piao
Pauw
Lbh
Pie

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Paw

What does the name Paw mean?

How popular is Paw in 2026?

In 2026, Paw ranks #9,172 among girls' names in the U.S., with 9 babies given the name that year.

When was Paw most popular?

Paw reached its peak popularity in 2016, ranking #5,129 that year with 26 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Paw most popular?

Paw has historically been most popular in Minnesota. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Paw.

Is Paw a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Paw is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Paw?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Paw include Dima, Nasira, Skarlette. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Paw

Paw is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2008 and has accumulated 274 births in the dataset. Paw's peak popularity came in 2016 when it ranked #5,129. Use the chart and map above to compare Paw'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.