Baby Name Popularity Profile

Paula

Data-driven SSA statistics, rankings, and historical trends for Paula.

✦ Small, humble 🌍 Latin Traditional
National Rank (2025) #855
All-Time Peak Rank #38 Achieved 1954
Total U.S. Births 280,856 since 1880
Unisex Distribution 0.7% Boy / 99.3% Girl Overwhelmingly Female
Boy Rank (2025) Unranked rare/no Boy usage
First Recorded 1880 Data through: 2025
Peak Decade 1950s 10,156 births in 1963
πŸ’‘ The Paula Vibe: Considered a Modern Trend. A contemporary choice reflecting current cultural naming rhythms and popularity brackets.

🌍 Meaning & Etymology

Primary Meaning Small, humble
Language Origin Latin
Origin Type single
Derived from the Roman family name Paulus, meaning 'small' or 'humble' in Latin.
Common Nicknames
Polly Pauley
Alternative Spellings
Paola
Pronunciation: PAW-lΙ™
Themes & Categories
Traditional
Etymology confidence: High

πŸ“Š Popularity Over Time (1880 – 2025)

Annual registration volume (number of births) for Paula across 146 years of SSA data.

Historical Timeline (1880 - 2025)
18801920196020002025
Recent Decade (2015 - 2025)
5-Year Trend (2020–2025) -3.9%
10-Year Trend (2015–2025) +2.6%
2015: 310 births 310 2016: 348 births 2017: 319 births 2018: 344 births 2019: 373 births 2020: 331 births 331 2021: 338 births 2022: 349 births 2023: 402 births 2024: 375 births 2025: 318 births 318
2015 2020 2025

πŸ“ˆ Popularity Milestones

Busiest Year on Record 10,156 births in 1963
Years in Top 100 32 yrs
Years in Top 500 113 yrs
Longest Streak 146 yrs
Decade-by-Decade Registration Volumes
1880s: 178
1890s: 424
1900s: 666
1910s: 2,022
1920s: 4,554
1930s: 8,861
1940s: 39,044
1950s: 84,869
1960s: 80,512
1970s: 32,724
1980s: 11,072
1990s: 6,330
2000s: 4,177
2010s: 3,310
2020s: 2,113

πŸ“ Sound & Spelling Structure

Phonetic Syllables Pau-a
Letter Count 5 letters
Spelling Complexity Moderate
Length Percentile Longer than 7.7% of names
Linguistic Profile: Longer than 7.7% of SSA names. Starts with P, a letter used by only 1.6% of SSA names.

πŸ› οΈ Sibling & Surname Cadence Tool

Enter a surname or sibling name to test how it pairs with Paula.

πŸ‘¨β€πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§ Sibling Name Suggestions

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πŸ“ Authentic State & Regional Rankings

Highest Ranking State Rhode Island
Top States Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Oklahoma, District of Columbia
States with Data 51
State 2025 Rank Total Births Peak Year 5-Yr Velocity
Rhode Island Unranked 2,349 1953 Insufficient historical volume
Massachusetts Unranked 13,541 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Maine Unranked 1,857 1952 Insufficient historical volume
Oklahoma Unranked 5,408 1953 Insufficient historical volume
District of Columbia Unranked 1,728 1953 Insufficient historical volume
Vermont Unranked 647 1951 Insufficient historical volume
Kentucky Unranked 6,355 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Indiana #1165 8,190 1955 Insufficient historical volume
Arkansas Unranked 3,738 1955 Insufficient historical volume
Kansas Unranked 3,634 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Missouri Unranked 7,655 1953 Insufficient historical volume
Connecticut #531 3,697 1963 Insufficient historical volume
New Mexico Unranked 1,799 1959 Insufficient historical volume
West Virginia Unranked 3,107 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Wyoming Unranked 445 1955 Insufficient historical volume
Louisiana Unranked 5,906 1963 Insufficient historical volume
New Hampshire Unranked 1,023 1953 Insufficient historical volume
Ohio Unranked 15,048 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Texas #433 23,947 1953 +4.0% Growth
South Dakota Unranked 1,039 1964 Insufficient historical volume
Michigan Unranked 11,382 1956 Insufficient historical volume
Illinois #990 14,500 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Montana Unranked 892 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Iowa Unranked 3,858 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Delaware Unranked 582 1958 Insufficient historical volume
North Dakota Unranked 943 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Wisconsin Unranked 5,464 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Colorado #876 3,193 1956 Insufficient historical volume
Minnesota Unranked 4,877 1964 Insufficient historical volume
Tennessee Unranked 5,581 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Maryland Unranked 3,865 1964 Insufficient historical volume
Nebraska Unranked 1,872 1953 Insufficient historical volume
New York #1016 19,672 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Pennsylvania Unranked 13,604 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Alabama Unranked 4,647 1964 Insufficient historical volume
Idaho Unranked 979 1955 Insufficient historical volume
Mississippi Unranked 2,996 1960 Insufficient historical volume
Washington Unranked 3,785 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Alaska Unranked 321 1964 Insufficient historical volume
California #670 22,857 1954 17.5% Decline
Oregon Unranked 2,049 1954 Insufficient historical volume
North Carolina #765 6,475 1964 Insufficient historical volume
New Jersey #654 5,957 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Hawaii Unranked 657 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Utah Unranked 1,750 1956 Insufficient historical volume
Virginia #1329 4,487 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Georgia #743 5,487 1964 Insufficient historical volume
Arizona #566 2,367 1963 Insufficient historical volume
Florida #594 6,613 1963 23.1% Decline
South Carolina Unranked 2,783 1967 Insufficient historical volume
Nevada Unranked 458 1964 Insufficient historical volume

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