girls' name ★ peaked 2002

Paulina

Meaning small Gender Girl Rank 2025 #784 Trend ↑ Rising 16%

From Latin Paulīna, feminine form of Paulīnus, derivative of Paulus, from paulus (“small”).

Rank 2025
#784
among girls · ↓2 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
346
named Paulina · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,645
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2002
822 babies
All-time total
20,142
#1,062 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Paulina popularity over time

20,142 babies have been named Paulina since 1880, 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
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 86 – 86 9 – #571
1890s 120 – 120 12 +40% #782
1900s 89 – 89 9 -26% #1,189
1910s 232 – 232 23 +161% #1,218
1920s 474 – 474 47 +104% #845
1930s 246 – 246 25 -48% #1,156
1940s 179 – 179 18 -27% #1,629
1950s 228 – 228 23 +27% #1,900
1960s 326 – 326 33 +43% #1,852
1970s 451 – 451 45 +38% #1,819
1980s 1,110 – 1,110 111 +146% #687
1990s 4,634 5 4,639 464 +318% #453
2000s 6,562 – 6,562 656 +41% #366
2010s 3,289 – 3,289 329 -50% #722
2020s (to 2025) 2,111 – 2,111 352 +7% #775

Where Paulina 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 355 0.22 outside top 500
2027 363 0.23 outside top 500
2028 370 0.23 outside top 500
2029 376 0.23 outside top 500
2030 381 0.24 outside top 500

Where Paulina is most popular

Girls named Paulina per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.220 per 1,000. Strongest in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas.

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 Paulina 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
New Mexico 15 0.617 +181%
Arizona 80 0.570 +160%
Texas 435 0.541 +146%
California 380 0.452 +106%
Florida 178 0.416 +89%
Illinois 74 0.323 +47%
Washington 40 0.277 +26%
Colorado 29 0.260 +18%
Nevada 11 0.237 +8%
Indiana 29 0.207 -6%
New York 59 0.149 -32%
Nebraska 5 0.139 -37%
Pennsylvania 28 0.118 -46%
Georgia 26 0.114 -48%
Tennessee 18 0.114 -48%
Michigan 20 0.110 -50%
New Jersey 16 0.089 -60%
Wisconsin 9 0.087 -60%
North Carolina 18 0.079 -64%
Utah 5 0.060 -73%
South Carolina 5 0.056 -75%
Ohio 10 0.042 -81%
Massachusetts 5 0.041 -81%
Virginia 7 0.041 -81%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Paulina

Paulina is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #784 in 2025 with 346 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 20,142 American babies have been named Paulina. Its peak came in 2002, when 822 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 Paulina stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Paulina?

The median living Paulina is about 22 years old; half are between 14 and 30. An estimated 19 thousand people named Paulina 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.

Paulina 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 346 #784 – –
2024 361 #782 – –
2023 364 #775 – –
2022 356 #795 – –
2021 355 #797 – –
2020 329 #834 – –
2019 328 #829 – –
2018 292 #919 – –
2017 311 #881 – –
2016 368 #774 – –
2015 315 #880 – –
2014 280 #959 – –
2013 323 #830 – –
2012 321 #835 – –
2011 361 #763 – –
2010 390 #722 – –
2009 469 #637 – –
2008 531 #581 – –
2007 657 #493 – –
2006 607 #503 – –
2005 791 #399 – –
2004 738 #414 – –
2003 725 #417 – –
2002 822 #366 – –
2001 648 #428 – –
2000 574 #477 – –
1995 428 #549 – –
1990 409 #569 – –
1985 58 #1,920 – –
1980 52 #2,037 – –
1975 36 #2,312 – –
1970 49 #1,819 – –
1965 36 #1,942 – –
1960 25 #2,417 – –
1955 21 #2,454 – –
1950 26 #1,900 – –
1945 16 #2,218 – –
1940 24 #1,629 – –
1935 21 #1,709 – –
1930 34 #1,313 – –
1925 78 #845 – –
1920 35 #1,343 – –
1915 33 #1,218 – –
1910 11 #1,498 – –
1905 10 #1,285 – –
1900 10 #1,297 – –
1895 15 #855 – –
1890 8 #1,079 – –
1885 5 #1,165 – –
1880 10 #571 – –

Famous people named Paulina

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

  1. 1 Paulina Porizkova Paulina Porizkova Model and author (born 1965) Contemporary
  2. 2 Paulina Rubio Paulina Rubio Mexican singer (born 1971) Contemporary
  3. 3 Paulina Vega Paulina Vega Colombian beauty pageant titleholder b. 1993 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Paulina?

The median living Paulina is about 22 years old. Half of all living Paulinas are between 14 and 30 years old.

How many people named Paulina are alive today?

An estimated 19 thousand people named Paulina are alive in the United States, based on 20,142 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Paulina mean?

From Latin Paulīna, feminine form of Paulīnus, derivative of Paulus, from paulus (“small”).

How popular is the name Paulina in 2025?

Paulina ranked #784 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 346 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Paulina?

20,142 babies have been named Paulina in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Paulina most popular?

Paulina peaked in 2002, when 822 newborns received the name.

Is Paulina a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Paulina rising or falling?

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

Will Paulina become more popular?

Paulina is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 381 girls named Paulina 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 Paulina?

Well-known people named Paulina include Paulina Porizkova (model), Paulina Rubio (singer), Paulina Vega (celebrity).

Names like Paulina

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

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