Paulo
Masculine · “small”
Paulo is the Portuguese of Paul, and the Latin behind it is small — paulus, an ordinary adjective, which the apostle appears to have adopted deliberately.
How old is the name Paulo?
Paulo first appears in US birth records in 1913 — 112 years ago. The typical Paulo alive today was born around 1996, making them about 29 years old. About 4,500 people named Paulo are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Paulo most popular?
Paulo peaked in 1973, reaching #932 nationally. Today it ranks #1554, 622 places below that high. See the whole 1973 chart.
Paulo appears on this list:
Where it comes from
From paulus to Paulo
The story of Paulo
Paul wrote the letters that shaped Christian theology more than any other single author, and his name became one of the most-used in Europe. Portuguese made Paulo, which is standard across Portugal and Brazil — São Paulo is the largest city in the southern hemisphere. Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking families brought it to America, where it is in current use.
Meaning
small, humble
From the Latin paulus, 'small' or 'little'. It was a Roman cognomen before it was a Christian name. Saul of Tarsus used Paulus in his letters to the Greek-speaking world; whether it was a Roman name he already held or one he chose is debated, but the word's meaning is not.
How the name formed
- paulus
- Paulus
- Paulo
Related forms: Paulo · Paolo · Pablo · Paul
Pronouncing Paulo
POW-loo
Two syllables, stress on the first. Brazilian Portuguese closes the final vowel toward oo; Italian Paolo is PAH-oh-loh.
Nicknames for Paulo
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1913
- Most boys named
- 2005121 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #932reached in 1973
- Change vs 2023
- −0.9%110 in 2025, from 111
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Paulo in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Paulo in Portuguese — same name
- Paolo in Italian — related form
- Pablo in Spanish — related form
- Paul in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida.
Paulos among us
people named Paulo are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 15,528 born in 2025 was named Paulo
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Marilyn test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Paulo's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Marilyn climbed just as high around 1937, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Marilyn's path sketches the road Paulo is walking now.
Paulo sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Paulo is headed
Paulo should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Paulo beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Paulo in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The small meaning is transparent and its likely deliberate adoption is a good story.
- It is standard across Portuguese without any change of spelling.
- Paul is available as a shorter and fully current alternative.
- English speakers will say PAW-loh rather than the Portuguese POW-loo.
- Paulo, Paolo and Pablo are three languages' forms and are easily mixed up.
- Paul is the form most people will assume.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Paulo
Masculine · #1554 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Paulos are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 4,500 people named Paulo are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Paulo in 2025?
- Paulo ranks #1554 among US boy names in 2025, with 110 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Paulo?
- About 1 in every 15,528 US boys born in 2025 was named Paulo — 110 in all.
- Will my child share the name Paulo with classmates?
- Paulo will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Paulo
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Kysen#1554 · Rylen#1554 · Cypress#1554 · Emmet#1554 · Jeffery#1554 · Navy#1554 · Zayvion#1554 · Youssef#1554
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Paulo? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Paulo and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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