Paul

Did you know?

A few things about Paul you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Paul

Paul McCartney

English musician and member of the Beatles (born 1942)

Choose Paul and your child shares a first name with Paul McCartney, an English musician and member of the Beatles. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Paul, like who?” Paul McCartney's Wikipedia article is available in 149 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Paul McCartney on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 1,298 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Paul, 1,316 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Paul would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryPaul has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Pauls, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1931, when it ranked #12. Today it's #262, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowPaul was 2.5× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 518 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 1,298.
• 📍Where it's lovedPaul is the #110 boy name in 2 states, including Alaska, New Hampshire and New Hampshire. It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• 💬MeaningIn Latin, Paul means “small”.

About the name Paul

Paul is a boy name of Latin origin meaning “small”. It has 4 letters and 1 syllable, starting with P and ending in “-aul”. US birth records list Paul for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1931, when it ranked #12 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #262, with 1,316 babies.

Origin:Latin names