girls' name ★ peaked 1948

Paulette

Meaning small Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,536 Trend ↑ Rising 25%

Paulette (po-LET) is the French feminine given name diminutive of the French/English/German given name Pauline, a derivative of the Latin Paulina, from the Roman family…

Rank 2025
#1,536
among girls · ↓124 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
138
named Paulette · -13% vs 2024
How common
1 in 11,647
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1948
2,586 babies
All-time total
47,152
#613 all-time among girls
First recorded
1907
in Social Security records

Paulette popularity over time

47,152 babies have been named Paulette since 1907, 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
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 5 – 5 1 – #2,312
1910s 76 – 76 8 +1420% #1,741
1920s 314 – 314 31 +313% #1,299
1930s 591 – 591 59 +88% #679
1940s 15,902 40 15,942 1,594 +2597% #117
1950s 14,883 20 14,903 1,490 -7% #148
1960s 7,430 5 7,435 744 -50% #321
1970s 3,640 – 3,640 364 -51% #328
1980s 1,227 – 1,227 123 -66% #953
1990s 792 – 792 79 -35% #1,419
2000s 403 – 403 40 -49% #2,961
2010s 1,010 – 1,010 101 +151% #1,573
2020s (to 2025) 814 – 814 136 +34% #1,412

Where Paulette 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 144 0.09 outside top 500
2027 149 0.09 outside top 500
2028 153 0.10 outside top 500
2029 157 0.10 outside top 500
2030 161 0.10 outside top 500

Where Paulette is most popular

Girls named Paulette per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.085 per 1,000. Strongest in Arizona, 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 Paulette 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
Arizona 56 0.399 +369%
Texas 163 0.203 +138%
California 145 0.172 +103%
Florida 42 0.098 +15%
New York 36 0.091 +7%
New Jersey 12 0.066 -22%
Illinois 14 0.061 -28%
Wisconsin 5 0.049 -43%
Colorado 5 0.045 -47%
Michigan 6 0.033 -61%
Pennsylvania 5 0.021 -75%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Paulette

Paulette is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,536 in 2025 with 138 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1907, 47,152 American babies have been named Paulette. Its peak came in 1948, when 2,586 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

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 Paulette stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Paulette?

The median living Paulette is about 70 years old; half are between 58 and 76. An estimated 37 thousand people named Paulette are alive in the United States today.

median 70 020406080100

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

Paulette 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 138 #1,536 – –
2024 159 #1,412 – –
2023 135 #1,576 – –
2022 131 #1,620 – –
2021 127 #1,649 – –
2020 124 #1,664 – –
2019 131 #1,625 – –
2018 101 #1,963 – –
2017 70 #2,537 – –
2016 78 #2,408 – –
2015 96 #2,054 – –
2014 84 #2,253 – –
2013 95 #2,048 – –
2012 85 #2,228 – –
2011 130 #1,650 – –
2010 140 #1,573 – –
2009 45 #3,606 – –
2008 46 #3,572 – –
2007 61 #2,961 – –
2006 33 #4,439 – –
2005 35 #4,095 – –
2004 30 #4,582 – –
2003 41 #3,509 – –
2002 37 #3,641 – –
2001 31 #4,086 – –
2000 44 #3,155 – –
1995 61 #2,211 – –
1990 112 #1,419 – –
1985 109 #1,255 – –
1980 156 #953 – –
1975 252 #627 – –
1970 805 #328 – –
1965 707 #343 – –
1960 854 #322 – –
1955 1,298 #225 6 #3,784
1950 1,953 #151 – –
1945 1,575 #148 – –
1940 223 #452 – –
1935 55 #944 – –
1930 24 #1,650 – –
1925 30 #1,530 – –
1920 27 #1,619 – –
1915 7 #3,712 – –
1910 6 #2,348 – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Paulette

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

  1. 1 Paulette Goddard Paulette Goddard American actress (1910–1990) Contemporary
  2. 2 Paulette Dubost French actress (1910–2011) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Paulette?

The median living Paulette is about 70 years old. Half of all living Paulettes are between 58 and 76 years old.

How many people named Paulette are alive today?

An estimated 37 thousand people named Paulette are alive in the United States, based on 47,152 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Paulette mean?

Paulette (po-LET) is the French feminine given name diminutive of the French/English/German given name Pauline, a derivative of the Latin Paulina, from the Roman family name Paulus, meaning "small" or "humble".

How popular is the name Paulette in 2025?

Paulette ranked #1,536 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 138 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Paulette?

47,152 babies have been named Paulette in the United States since 1907, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Paulette most popular?

Paulette peaked in 1948, when 2,586 newborns received the name.

Is Paulette a boy or girl name?

Paulette is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Paulette rising or falling?

Paulette is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Paulette become more popular?

Paulette is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 161 girls named Paulette 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 Paulette?

Well-known people named Paulette include Paulette Goddard (actor), Paulette Dubost (actor).

Names like Paulette

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

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