girls' name ★ peaked 2006

Paola

Meaning A female given name from Italian Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #1,260 Trend ↓ Falling 20%

A female given name from Italian.

Rank 2025
#1,260
among girls · ↓179 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
178
named Paola · -23% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,030
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2006
1,089 babies
All-time total
24,644
#932 all-time among girls
First recorded
1950
in Social Security records

Paola popularity over time

24,644 babies have been named Paola since 1950, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s 44 – 44 4 – #3,194
1960s 217 – 217 22 +393% #2,000
1970s 619 – 619 62 +185% #1,238
1980s 1,657 37 1,694 169 +174% #764
1990s 6,377 72 6,449 645 +281% #301
2000s 9,877 39 9,916 992 +54% #302
2010s 4,259 – 4,259 426 -57% #454
2020s (to 2025) 1,446 – 1,446 241 -43% #956

Where Paola is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 171 0.11 outside top 500
2027 165 0.10 outside top 500
2028 161 0.10 outside top 500
2029 157 0.10 outside top 500
2030 154 0.10 outside top 500

Where Paola is most popular

Girls named Paola per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.145 per 1,000. Strongest in Florida, Texas, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Paola born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Florida 153 0.358 +146%
Texas 275 0.342 +135%
California 231 0.275 +89%
Arizona 38 0.271 +87%
Illinois 46 0.201 +38%
North Carolina 40 0.176 +21%
New York 50 0.126 -13%
Virginia 20 0.117 -19%
Colorado 12 0.108 -26%
Georgia 18 0.079 -45%
Oklahoma 5 0.068 -53%
Kentucky 5 0.058 -60%
Washington 8 0.055 -62%
Maryland 5 0.047 -68%
Pennsylvania 10 0.042 -71%
Tennessee 6 0.038 -74%
Ohio 8 0.034 -77%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Paola

Paola is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,260 in 2025 with 178 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1950, 24,644 American babies have been named Paola. Its peak came in 2006, when 1,089 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Paola stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Paola?

The median living Paola is about 22 years old; half are between 16 and 29. An estimated 24 thousand people named Paola are alive in the United States today.

median 22 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Paola year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 178 #1,260 – –
2024 230 #1,081 – –
2023 231 #1,074 – –
2022 269 #985 – –
2021 270 #964 – –
2020 268 #956 – –
2019 283 #935 – –
2018 275 #963 – –
2017 331 #824 – –
2016 338 #843 – –
2015 383 #738 – –
2014 418 #680 – –
2013 424 #672 – –
2012 507 #580 – –
2011 620 #481 – –
2010 680 #454 – –
2009 853 #382 – –
2008 954 #350 – –
2007 1,021 #328 7 #10,602
2006 1,089 #302 – –
2005 1,041 #309 – –
2004 936 #342 – –
2003 952 #329 7 #9,357
2002 1,000 #310 10 #6,917
2001 1,040 #307 8 #8,112
2000 991 #320 7 #8,881
1995 921 #302 13 #4,718
1990 326 #665 10 #5,275
1985 180 #891 5 #7,308
1980 83 #1,469 – –
1975 63 #1,583 – –
1970 36 #2,227 – –
1965 26 #2,391 – –
1960 12 #3,862 – –
1955 5 #6,482 – –
1950 5 #5,900 – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Paola

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Paola Núñez Paola Núñez Mexican actress (born 1978) Contemporary
  2. 2 Paola Rey Paola Rey Colombian actress and model (born 1979) Contemporary
  3. 3 Paola Suárez Paola Suárez Argentine tennis player b. 1976 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Paola Pezzo Paola Pezzo Italian cyclist (born 1969) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Paola, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Paola?

The median living Paola is about 22 years old. Half of all living Paolas are between 16 and 29 years old.

How many people named Paola are alive today?

An estimated 24 thousand people named Paola are alive in the United States, based on 24,644 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Paola mean?

A female given name from Italian.

How popular is the name Paola in 2025?

Paola ranked #1,260 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 178 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Paola?

24,644 babies have been named Paola in the United States since 1950, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Paola most popular?

Paola peaked in 2006, when 1,089 newborns received the name.

Is Paola a boy or girl name?

Paola is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Paola rising or falling?

Paola is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Paola become more popular?

Paola is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 154 girls named Paola in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Paola?

Well-known people named Paola include Paola Núñez (actor), Paola Rey (actor), Paola Suárez (tennis player).

Names like Paola

Names that sound and feel close to Paola: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Paola with similar names → More names starting with P →