Paladin
A knight devoted to spiritual chivalry and combat in defense of the faith.
Name Census estimates that about 39 living Americans carry the first name Paladin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Paladin today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Paladin births was 2011 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Paladin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Paladin. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
39
~ 1 in 8,788,573 Americans
Peak year
2011
11 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,640
Tracked since 1958
Popularity
Paladin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Paladin from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 16 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Paladin remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Paladin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Paladin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Paladin
The name Paladin is derived from the Latin word "palatinus," which means "of the palace." It originated in the Late Latin period, around the 4th to 6th centuries CE, and was initially used to refer to high-ranking officials in the court of the Roman Empire.
In the early Middle Ages, the term "paladin" was used to describe the principal warriors and companions of the Emperor Charlemagne. These paladins were considered to be exemplary knights, renowned for their military prowess, chivalry, and unwavering loyalty to their sovereign.
One of the most famous paladins in literature and legend is Roland, a central character in the medieval French epic poem "The Song of Roland." This work, composed in the late 11th century, depicts Roland as a valiant knight and a nephew of Charlemagne, who sacrifices his life during the Battle of Roncesvalles.
During the Crusades, the term "paladin" was often associated with the Knights Templar, a prestigious military order of warrior monks. The Templars were known for their bravery, discipline, and commitment to protecting Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Paladin. One example is Paladin of Burgundy (c. 1109-1153), a renowned French knight and crusader who participated in the Second Crusade and was later venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church.
Another historical figure with the name Paladin was Paladin of Metz (c. 1185-1248), a French nobleman and military leader who fought in the Albigensian Crusade and the Seventh Crusade. He was also a member of the Knights Templar and played a significant role in defending the city of Metz against various sieges.
In the 16th century, Paladin Guzman (1515-1563) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. He later participated in the exploration and colonization of present-day Peru and Bolivia.
During the Renaissance period, Paladin Vituri (1500-1568) was an Italian humanist, philosopher, and author who wrote extensively on topics such as ethics, politics, and rhetoric. He served as a tutor to several prominent families in Venice and was known for his erudition and eloquence.
In more recent times, Paladin Mucci (1892-1975) was an Italian-American Catholic priest and civil rights activist who advocated for racial equality and social justice. He worked tirelessly to improve living conditions in impoverished communities and was recognized for his humanitarian efforts.
People
Paladin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Paladin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Paladin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Paladin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 39 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Paladin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 8,788,573 US residents.
Is Paladin a common name?
We classify Paladin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 50.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 41 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Paladin most popular?
The single biggest year for Paladin was 2011, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Paladin is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Paladin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Paladin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Paladin in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Paladin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Paladin in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Paladin can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Paladin?
Want to know how many people have the name Paladin? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.