Paula
Meaning
small, humble
Famously borne by Paula Modersohn-Becker, thought to be the first woman to paint a nude self-portrait.
Paula around the world
One shared root links 4 names across 3 languages.
Shared root: from Latin paulus "small, humble", the Roman cognomen Paulus
The constellation
More branches
Paula in song
Hey Paula
Paul and Paula (1962)
Two Texas college students recorded this duet in 1962, it went to number one in early 1963, and they simply became Paul and Paula from then on.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Paula peaked in the 1950s and the 1960s in nearly equal measure.
Popularity in Brazil
212,186 people · the #152 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 957 · median age 33
Among people named Paula living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 2,626 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Paula
Most people given the name Paula in the United States were born between 1950 and 1979. The Paula you meet today is most often in her 50s or 60s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Paula deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Paula truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Paula fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
German baby names · Spanish baby names · Names of great artists
Does Paula fit YOUR family?
nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.
Add Paula to your family’s tree →