Paul
Pronounced P AO1 L (ARPABET)
- 1 syllable
- Peaked 1957
- 145 years in use
- Biblical
- 2 spellings
How popular is Paul?
Paul is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 1,403,139 children — the 20th most common boys' name on record.
It has been slipping, down 36% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1957, when 27,012 children were given it.
Two other spellings are counted in that total — Pol and Paull — because they are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Paul and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Pol
- Paull
Characteristics
- Biblical (Person)
- 1 syllable
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- P AO1 L
- Stress pattern:
- 1
- Syllables:
- 1
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Paul
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Paul
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Paul?
- Paul ranks 20th among boys' names in US records, with 1,403,139 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 15,646.
- Is Paul a unisex name?
- No. Paul is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Paul most popular?
- 1957, when 27,012 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Paul spelled?
- Pol, Paull. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.