Paula
The feminine of Paul, Latin for “small, humble.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Paula appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1943 to 1974. Its biggest year was 1963, when 10,156 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 42 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1954, at No. 38. In 2025 it ranked No. 853 for girls. All told, 281,769 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Paola (24,644) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Paul
Explore Paula interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 178 | No. 421 |
| 1890s | 424 | No. 377 |
| 1900s | 666 | No. 349 |
| 1910s | 2,022 | No. 357 |
| 1920s | 4,554 | No. 254 |
| 1930s | 8,861 | No. 159 |
| 1940s | 39,044 | No. 52 |
| 1950s | 84,869 | No. 38 |
| 1960s | 80,512 | No. 42 |
| 1970s | 32,724 | No. 57 |
| 1980s | 11,072 | No. 173 |
| 1990s | 6,330 | No. 296 |
| 2000s | 4,177 | No. 572 |
| 2010s | 3,310 | No. 721 |
| 2020s | 2,113 | No. 706 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.