boy's name
Jean-Paul
zhahn-POL
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Letters 9
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 90,188
Jean-Paul joins God is gracious to a name meaning small — Paul was a Roman cognomen for a short man, so the compound sets a statement about God beside a physical nickname. It holds 89,903 lifetime births in our records.
- Jean-Paul is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1951, when 4,235 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 117,911 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
Jean-Paul over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 160 |
| 1910s | 195 |
| 1920s | 575 |
| 1930s | 2,115 |
| 1940s | 20,880 |
| 1950s | 37,635 |
| 1960s | 19,015 |
| 1970s | 4,965 |
| 1980s | 1,460 |
| 1990s | 625 |
| 2000s | 320 |
| 2010s | 115 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 30 |
What Jean-Paul means
Jean-Paul means God is gracious, from Jean, joined to small, from Paul. French compounds hold both meanings side by side rather than blending them into one.
Where Jean-Paul comes from
Jean-Paul joins Jean, the French John from the Hebrew Yochanan, to Paul, from the Latin paulus — small or humble, a Roman cognomen of the sort that described a physical trait. The apostle was Saul before Damascus and used Paul in Greek-speaking territory; whether that was a translation, a Roman name he already held as a citizen, or a deliberate self-description is argued. Jean-Paul Sartre declined the Nobel Prize in 1964, the only person ever to refuse it voluntarily.
Jean-Paul in use
Jean-Paul peaked in France in 1951, when 4,235 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It no longer ranks in any of the six markets we track, across 90,188 lifetime births. It is the fourth Jean- compound in our gap band after Jean-Claude, Jean-Luc and Jean-Marc, and every one of them has now left every chart entirely.
How popular is Jean-Paul?
In 2025, Jean-Paul was given to 5 babies in France. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Jean-Paul is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Jean-Paul is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Jeanpaul | Jeanpaul is Jean-Paul written as one word, used in the United States, where it ranks #6,807. | 1,767 |
Names that peaked alongside Jean-Paul
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Jean-Paul also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jean-Paul over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Jean-Paul
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Jean-Paul in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Jean-Paul
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Jean-Paul — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Jean-Paul
What does the name Jean-Paul mean?
God is gracious, from Jean, joined to small, from Paul.
Does Paul really mean small?
Yes — the Latin paulus, a Roman cognomen of the kind that described a physical trait.
Why was Saul called Paul?
Argued. A translation, a Roman name he already held as a citizen, and a self-description are all proposed.
Does Jean-Paul still rank?
Not in any of the six markets we track, despite a 1951 French peak of 4,235 births.
How popular is the name Jean-Paul?
In 2025, Jean-Paul was given to 5 babies in France. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Jean-Paul a girl's or a boy's name?
Jean-Paul is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
When was Jean-Paul most popular?
Jean-Paul peaked in 1951, when 4,235 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Jean-Paul?
Jean-Paul is usually shortened to Jp.
Is Jean-Paul a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jean-Paul currently ranks #2,877 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.