Paulia
A feminine name derived from the Latin name Paulus, meaning small or humble.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Paulia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Paulia today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Paulia births was 1956 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Paulia. 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
- • The typical person named Paulia is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Paulias were born before 1967.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Paulia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1956
10 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
1962 SSA rank
#7,306
Tracked since 1956
Popularity
Paulia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Paulia from the 1950s through to the 1960s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1950s peak, Paulia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Paulia 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 Paulia 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 Paulia
The given name Paulia has its origins in the Latin language and culture. It is derived from the male name Paulus, which means "small" or "humble". The name Paulus itself comes from the ancient Roman family name Paulius.
In ancient Rome, the name Paulia was commonly used as a feminine form of Paulus. It was especially popular among Roman nobles and aristocratic families. Some notable early bearers of the name include Paulia Polla, a Roman noblewoman who lived in the 1st century AD.
The name Paulia also has significant religious connections. In the New Testament of the Bible, there is a reference to a woman named Paulina, which is a variant spelling of Paulia. Some historians believe this Paulina may have been an early Christian convert.
Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance period, the name Paulia remained in use across Europe, particularly in Italy and other parts of the Mediterranean region. One notable figure was Paulia di Rosa (1268-1344), an Italian Roman Catholic nun and mystic.
In the 16th century, Paulia Bassano (1508-1576) was an Italian painter and poet from the Bassano family of artists. She is considered one of the earliest known female Renaissance painters.
Other historical figures with the name include Paulia Rittinghaus (1690-1761), a German poet and writer, and Paulia Tarnowska (1781-1852), a Polish noble and philanthropist.
During the 19th century, Paulia Dörrié (1860-1943) was a German writer and activist for women's rights, while Paulia Svärdson (1869-1955) was a Swedish artist and painter.
These examples showcase the long history and diverse cultural backgrounds associated with the given name Paulia, spanning across centuries and regions.
People
Paulia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Paulia 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
Paulia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Paulia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Paulia 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Paulia a common name?
We classify Paulia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Paulia most popular?
The single biggest year for Paulia was 1956, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Paulia is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Paulia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Paulia 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.