Paul
Say it: PAWL/pɔːl/
BoyMeans small4 letters1 syllable
#286
in Ireland (2025)
#276 with spellings combined
15
babies in 2025
#3
best rank (1978)
34,465
babies since 1964
Down 147
10-year rank change
Paul through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 | #276 |
| 2024 | 20 | #220 |
| 2023 | 21 | #214 |
| 2022 | 25 | #200 |
| 2021 | 36 | #158 |
| 2020 | 34 | #163 |
| 2019 | 36 | #163 |
| 2018 | 42 | #144 |
| 2017 | 35 | #169 |
| 2016 | 35 | #168 |
| 2015 | 48 | #129 |
| 2014 | 54 | #126 |
| 2013 | 53 | #124 |
| 2012 | 69 | #103 |
| 2011 | 81 | #97 |
| 2010 | 89 | #90 |
| 2009 | 104 | #78 |
| 2008 | 113 | #76 |
| 2007 | 111 | #72 |
| 2006 | 125 | #62 |
| 2005 | 145 | #54 |
| 2004 | 167 | #43 |
| 2003 | 137 | #48 |
| 2002 | 154 | #45 |
| 2001 | 165 | #43 |
| 2000 | 182 | #40 |
| 1999 | 189 | #39 |
| 1998 | 183 | #34 |
| 1997 | 303 | #26 |
| 1996 | 299 | #28 |
| 1995 | 348 | #21 |
| 1994 | 373 | #16 |
| 1993 | 468 | #13 |
| 1992 | 507 | #13 |
| 1991 | 527 | #13 |
| 1990 | 575 | #11 |
| 1989 | 610 | #8 |
| 1988 | 716 | #9 |
| 1987 | 814 | #7 |
| 1986 | 824 | #8 |
| 1985 | 873 | #7 |
| 1984 | 912 | #7 |
| 1983 | 965 | #7 |
| 1982 | 1,107 | #4 |
| 1981 | 1,110 | #5 |
| 1980 | 1,262 | #4 |
| 1979 | 1,492 | #3 |
| 1978 | 1,343 | #3 |
| 1977 | 1,114 | #5 |
| 1976 | 1,098 | #5 |
| 1975 | 1,108 | #5 |
| 1974 | 1,139 | #5 |
| 1973 | 1,112 | #5 |
| 1972 | 1,061 | #6 |
| 1971 | 1,030 | #7 |
| 1970 | 1,031 | #7 |
| 1969 | 1,075 | #7 |
| 1968 | 1,086 | #7 |
| 1967 | 1,275 | #5 |
| 1966 | 1,303 | #5 |
| 1965 | 1,323 | #6 |
| 1964 | 1,814 | #4 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Paul mean?
Small
Latin, from the Roman family name Paulus (small).
Say it right
PAWL
The story of Paul
Paul comes from Paulus, a Roman family name from the Latin word for “small”. Its fame is owed to Saint Paul, born Saul of Tarsus. After a vision on the road to Damascus he became the most travelled of the early Christian missionaries, and his letters make up much of the New Testament. The Irish form of the name is Pól.
Paul was one of the great Irish boys’ names of the 1960s and 1970s. It was given to 1,814 boys in 1964, and it reached number 3 in 1978. Since the 1990s it has fallen steadily, and in 2025 it was given to 15 boys and stood at number 276. In Northern Ireland its best rank in the records was number 27, in 1997.
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Sources
- Wiktionary: Paul (English proper noun)
- Wiktionary: Paulus (Latin proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Paul (given name)
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Paul | 15 | 34,465 |
In Northern Ireland
#270 in 2025 with 6 babies. Best rank #27 (1997); 1,055 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.