Paul

Boy name

Paul has been given to 1,404,135 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1957 and currently ranks #262 for boys (2025).

Meaning & origin /pɔːl/

From Latin Paulus, from paulus (“small”). Doublet of Pablo and Paolo.

Origin: Latin

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

1,404,135

Peak year

1957 (27,076 babies)

Rank in 2025

#262 for boys

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▼ -35%

Gender split

0% girls / 100% boys

Famous people named Paul

Thomas Mann

German novelist and Nobel Prize laureate (1875–1955)

André Gide

French author and Nobel laureate (1869–1951)

Joseph Goebbels

Nazi politician and Propaganda Minister (1897–1945)

Paul Cézanne

French painter (1839–1906)

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Paul.

Markboy

1,366,672 babies since 1880

Stevenboy

1,297,590 babies since 1880

Kennethboy

1,289,312 babies since 1880

Kevinboy

1,189,844 babies since 1912

Timothyboy

1,088,520 babies since 1880

Jeffreyboy

983,099 babies since 1885

Garyboy

905,438 babies since 1880

Stephenboy

867,669 babies since 1880

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