Paula Name Popularity

Charts | Table | About | By Year

How popular is Paula?

In 2018 the less frequently given name Paula, ranked the 793rd Most Popular Girls Name in the United States.

Presently one of the top 1000 most popular, Paula has been a top 1000 placer since the Social Security Administration began keeping records in 1880.

It reached its highest popularity RANKING of #38 in 1954.

Nonetheless, the name was given to the greatest number of children in 1963 with 10,144 occurrences.

The least amount of newborns dubbed Paula in any given year was 6 in 1882.

Approximately during the years 1884-1891, 1908-1916, 1921-1927, 1933-1948, 1949-1953, and 1960-1963, the name Paula took a definitive turn upwards in popularity whereas clearly downward trends happened around 1966-1986, and 1990-1993.

Paula's popularity has been moving downward for some time. In recent years however, the number of babies given the name Paula has risen.

What does the future hold for the popularity of Paula?

Currently, the name is at an extremely low point when compared to its most popular year.

The name Paula still has a solid footing and has recently started to rise upward in popularity.

Relative to what it once was, Paula is much less frequently used as a given name.

*Mouse over the charts or scroll down to the table for data details.

Mouse over or Click

for Percentages.

		Paula (Girl)		Paula (Boy)
Year	%	No. of Babies Given Name	Popul. Rank	No. of Babies Given Name	Popul. Rank
2018		342	793	< 5	--
2017		319	854	5	13,696
2016		348	825	< 5	--
2015		310	890	9	8,524
2014		266	996	< 5	--
2013		307	847	< 5	--
2012		385	722	< 5	--
2011		325	819	< 5	--
2010		332	815	< 5	--
2009		362	782	6	12,082
2008		448	678	5	14,077
2007		455	652	5	13,879
2006		431	668	< 5	--
2005		416	669	8	8,890
2004		419	655	6	10,967
2003		356	718	< 5	--
2002		414	618	5	11,992
2001		418	601	< 5	--
2000		454	572	8	7,995
1999		446	564	< 5	--
1998		457	546	5	10,857
1997		504	490	< 5	--
1996		552	455	< 5	--
1995		553	458	8	6,821
1994		623	402	8	6,813
1993		630	400	13	4,630
1992		775	338	5	9,442
1991		848	320	7	7,074
1990		940	297	10	5,277
1989		794	320	16	3,573
1988		811	305	14	3,652
1987		903	272	9	4,851
1986		880	279	11	4,058
1985		1,014	250	10	4,258
1984		1,101	230	11	3,867
1983		1,161	219	14	3,187
1982		1,326	205	18	2,677
1981		1,480	186	12	3,557
1980		1,598	173	8	4,829
1979		1,694	165	10	3,999
1978		1,826	151	10	3,780
1977		2,042	144	12	3,332
1976		2,252	121	7	4,786
1975		2,654	107	17	2,514
1974		3,063	96	18	2,339
1973		3,504	86	19	2,192
1972		4,257	72	13	2,783
1971		5,380	63	15	2,525
1970		6,054	57	22	1,921
1969		6,754	50	22	1,794
1968		7,638	45	23	1,679
1967		7,693	45	23	1,638
1966		7,857	50	13	2,308
1965		7,912	49	19	1,843
1964		9,505	45	17	2,022
1963		10,144	42	27	1,535
1962		7,194	60	10	2,799
1961		7,744	60	19	1,924
1960		8,067	55	16	2,101
1959		8,053	51	21	1,795
1958		8,026	53	27	1,526
1957		8,545	49	16	2,070
1956		8,924	47	22	1,708
1955		9,585	39	13	2,287
1954		9,688	38	12	2,406
1953		9,555	40	16	2,018
1952		8,566	47	17	1,922
1951		7,294	51	8	3,011
1950		6,629	54	9	2,722
1949		6,577	55	18	1,807
1948		6,597	52	10	2,572
1947		6,101	54	8	3,040
1946		4,727	69	12	2,244
1945		3,796	67	11	2,215
1944		3,314	82	14	1,958
1943		3,042	93	17	1,816
1942		1,974	136	9	2,669
1941		1,540	151	< 5	--
1940		1,372	155	9	2,624
1939		1,349	159	5	3,847
1938		1,317	163	8	2,807
1937		1,213	165	< 5	--
1936		982	185	6	3,446
1935		774	221	< 5	--
1934		759	229	11	2,359
1933		611	245	< 5	--
1932		659	238	< 5	--
1931		584	250	7	3,323
1930		614	252	9	2,950
1929		619	254	5	4,404
1928		558	276	< 5	--
1927		602	272	< 5	--
1926		541	286	5	4,674
1925		464	308	< 5	--
1924		418	329	< 5	--
1923		378	337	< 5	--
1922		305	374	< 5	--
1921		326	373	< 5	--
1920		343	354	< 5	--
1919		245	415	< 5	--
1918		265	401	< 5	--
1917		303	360	5	4,434
1916		289	361	< 5	--
1915		228	399	< 5	--
1914		184	390	< 5	--
1913		150	398	< 5	--
1912		164	358	< 5	--
1911		105	394	< 5	--
1910		89	420	< 5	--
1909		76	424	< 5	--
1908		83	403	< 5	--
1907		76	408	< 5	--
1906		89	355	< 5	--
1905		68	411	< 5	--
1904		79	371	< 5	--
1903		57	424	< 5	--
1902		41	499	< 5	--
1901		50	426	< 5	--
1900		47	497	< 5	--
1899		40	463	< 5	--
1898		55	418	< 5	--
1897		45	438	< 5	--
1896		47	421	< 5	--
1895		37	485	< 5	--
1894		34	491	< 5	--
1893		47	393	< 5	--
1892		40	425	< 5	--
1891		44	383	< 5	--
1890		35	433	< 5	--
1889		33	427	< 5	--
1888		27	483	< 5	--
1887		26	444	< 5	--
1886		21	489	< 5	--
1885		16	554	< 5	--
1884		12	634	< 5	--
1883		19	447	< 5	--
1882		6	880	< 5	--
1881		9	616	< 5	--
1880		9	621	< 5	--

United States name popularity data is provided by the Social Security Administration and is based on Social Security card applications.

Data for a given year is not made available until well into the next year.

Data reflects what was recorded and has not been edited for errors, so for example the gender associated with a name may be incorrect.

The more babies that are given a particular name, the higher the popularity ranking. If multiple names have the same usage, the tie is broken by assigning popularity rank in alphabetical order. Therefore in the case of names with fewer occurrences, names with the same number of occurrences may have vastly different rankings because they will be interranked alphabetically.

To safeguard privacy, the SSA does not include names with less than 5 occurrences.

Please note, we update the data each May when the SSA releases new figures. All data changes at that time, including previous years, which will change minutely based on new information.