boy's name
Paul
POL
- Origin Latin
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 1,910,233
the United States
#262
2025 births
Paul is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "small" or "humble," borne by the apostle whose letters shaped Christian doctrine. It ranks twenty-third in France while falling in America, where it peaked in 1957 and holds more than 1.9 million births in our records.
- Paul is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1957, when 27,076 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,519 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Paul over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,213 |
| 1890s | 8,238 |
| 1900s | 12,729 |
| 1910s | 78,626 |
| 1920s | 133,237 |
| 1930s | 126,405 |
| 1940s | 183,902 |
| 1950s | 253,817 |
| 1960s | 243,419 |
| 1970s | 137,205 |
| 1980s | 105,105 |
| 1990s | 59,077 |
| 2000s | 31,007 |
| 2010s | 19,030 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 8,125 |
What Paul means
Paul means small, or humble. The Latin paulus is the ordinary adjective for little, and it was a Roman cognomen long before it became a Christian name, so the sense is literal size before it is modesty.
Where Paul comes from
Paul comes from the Latin Paulus, small, a cognomen of the gens Aemilia. Its standing rests on Saul of Tarsus, who took the name Paul after his conversion; the change is usually read as a move from a Hebrew to a Roman name suited to his mission among gentiles rather than as a statement of humility, though the second reading is widespread. Thirteen of the New Testament letters are attributed to him. Six popes have used the name, and it has been continuously common across Catholic and Protestant Europe alike, which is unusual: most saints' names split along confessional lines.
Paul in use
Paul ranks twenty-third in France with about 1,725 births in 2025, holding steady in a market where it has always been strong. Our American series tells the opposite story: a peak in 1957 with more than 27,000 births in that year alone, and a long decline to 262 today. With more than 1.9 million births on record it is one of the largest names in our data, and one of the few where a European market is now clearly ahead of the American one.
How popular is Paul?
In 2025, Paul was given to 1,316 babies in the United States, ranking #262 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Paul 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.
Names that peaked alongside Paul
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Paul also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Paul over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for 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.
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 Paul
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Paul — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Paul
What does the name Paul mean?
Paul means "small" or "humble," from the Latin paulus.
Why did Saul change his name to Paul?
It is usually read as adopting a Roman name suited to his mission among gentiles, rather than as a statement of humility.
Is Paul still popular?
It ranks twenty-third in France but has fallen to 262 in the United States, where it peaked in 1957.
What are the other European forms of Paul?
Paolo in Italian, Pablo in Spanish, Paulo in Portuguese and Pavel in Russian and Czech.
Is Paul a girl's or a boy's name?
Paul is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Paul?
Paul has 1 syllable.
What are the nicknames for Paul?
Paul is usually shortened to Paulie.
Is Paul a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Paul currently ranks #23 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.