girl's name · in the US
Paris
PAR-iss (English)
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl (US)
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 50,046
the United States
#592
2025 births
Paris has two unrelated sources — the Trojan prince and the French city — and France barely uses it, ranking the name 7,188th while the United States has it at 592nd and 80 percent female.
- Paris is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2004, when 2,246 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 5,952 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Paris started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- First appears in US birth records in 1881.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Paris Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 64 |
| 1890s | 84 |
| 1900s | 80 |
| 1910s | 295 |
| 1920s | 395 |
| 1930s | 261 |
| 1940s | 369 |
| 1950s | 627 |
| 1960s | 1,228 |
| 1970s | 1,361 |
| 1980s | 3,414 |
| 1990s | 7,316 |
| 2000s | 11,412 |
| 2010s | 11,793 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,224 |
What Paris Means
Paris means either the Trojan prince, whose own name has no accepted derivation, or the city, named for the Gaulish tribe that lived there. The two share nothing but a spelling.
Where Paris Comes From
Paris has two separate origins. The Trojan prince of the Iliad carries a name of unknown meaning, probably not Greek at all but Luwian or another Anatolian language. The city takes its name from the Parisii, a Gaulish people whose settlement the Romans called Lutetia; the tribal name displaced the Roman one only in late antiquity. Naming children for cities is modern, so almost all current use descends from the city rather than the prince.
Paris in Use
Paris peaked in the United States in 2004, when 2,246 babies were registered, and it is stable rather than falling. It now ranks 470th in Scotland on 7 births, 592nd in the United States on 557, 859th in Ireland on 4, 995th in England and Wales on 39 and 7,188th in France on 5, across 50,046 lifetime births in six markets. About 80 percent of recorded births are female, and the country containing the city ranks it lowest of the five.
How Popular Is Paris?
In 2025, Paris was given to 557 babies in the United States, ranking #592 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Paris Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Paris Is Spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Pâris | Pâris is a rare spelling of Paris, written with a circumflex and recorded about 65 times, mostly in France. | 65 |
Names That Peaked Alongside Paris
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Paris Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Paris over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Boys' or Girls' Name?
Paris is used differently depending on where you are. Each figure is the share of babies given the name who were girls, over the last ten years of that country's records.
- United States Girls' 92% girls · 8,689 babies
- England & Wales Both 87% girls · 676 babies
- Canada Girls' 92% girls · 307 babies
- France Both 56% girls · 170 babies
How to Say Paris
- English PAR-iss /ˈpæɹ.ɪs/
Paris 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 Paris
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Paris — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Paris
What does the name Paris mean?
Two things. The Trojan prince's name is unexplained; the city is named for the Parisii, a Gaulish tribe.
What did the Romans call Paris?
Lutetia. The tribal name displaced it only in late antiquity.
Is Paris a girls' name?
Mostly — about 80 percent of recorded births are female.
Do the French use it?
Barely. France ranks it 7,188th, the lowest of six markets where it charts.
How popular is the name Paris?
In 2025, Paris was given to 557 babies in the United States, ranking #592 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
How many syllables are in Paris?
Paris has 2 syllables.
When was Paris most popular?
Paris peaked in 2004, when 2,246 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Paris a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Paris currently ranks #470 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.