Paulett
A feminine name of French origin, derived from the Latin name Paulus.
Name Census estimates that about 319 living Americans carry the first name Paulett. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Paulett today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Paulett births was 1949 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Paulett. 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.
People living today
319
~ 1 in 1,074,465 Americans
Peak year
1949
22 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,858
Tracked since 1942
Popularity
Paulett: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Paulett from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 121 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Paulett 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 Paulett during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pauletts live
Origin
Meaning and history of Paulett
The given name Paulett has its origins in the Latin name Paulinus, which itself is derived from the Roman family name Paulus, meaning "small" or "humble." This name traces its roots back to ancient Rome and the early days of Christianity.
In the 3rd century AD, Paulinus of Nola was a Roman poet, scholar, and later the bishop of Nola, a town in Campania, Italy. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, and his writings played a significant role in the development of Christian literature during the early medieval period.
The variant spelling Paulett is believed to have emerged in medieval England, possibly as a diminutive form of Paulinus. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Paulett dates back to the 13th century, when a woman named Paulett de Bray was mentioned in historical records from Normandy, France.
In the 15th century, Sir Amias Paulett (c. 1455 - 1538) was an English courtier and ambassador who served under King Henry VII and Henry VIII. He held various influential positions, including Lieutenant of Jersey and Governor of Calais.
Another notable figure was Sir William Paulett (c. 1475 - 1572), an English nobleman and Lord Treasurer under King Edward VI and Queen Mary I. He played a significant role in the English Reformation and was responsible for the arrest of Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth I) during the reign of Queen Mary.
During the 16th century, Paulett Carey (c. 1585 - 1638) was an English poet and courtier who served as a gentleman of the bedchamber to King James I. He is known for his collection of poems titled "The Mistress, or Several Copies of Love Verses."
In the 18th century, Paulett St. John (1712 - 1786) was a British naval officer and politician who served as the Governor of Antigua from 1768 to 1786. He played a crucial role in the defense of the island during the American Revolutionary War.
These examples illustrate the historical presence of the name Paulett across various periods and contexts, from religious figures and poets to courtiers, noblemen, and military leaders. While the name may have evolved from its Latin roots, it has maintained a distinctive identity and association with notable individuals throughout history.
People
Paulett + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Paulett 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
Paulett: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Paulett?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 319 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Paulett 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 1,074,465 US residents.
Is Paulett a common name?
We classify Paulett as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 428 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Paulett most popular?
The single biggest year for Paulett was 1949, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Paulett is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Paulett a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Paulett in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.