Pauline
Girl name · #2957 in 2025 · Uniqueness 71/100
In 2025, 56 baby girls were named Pauline, placing it at #2957 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #2351, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 32,143 girls born in 2025 was named Pauline.
The 145-year story
Pauline first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 144 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1918, when 7,222 girls were named Pauline — good for #35 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Pauline per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Pauline against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Pauline in class?
Pauline scores 71 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Pauline will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Pauline is most common
State-level data for Pauline is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Pauline
Statistically, parents drawn to Pauline tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Loraine, Corrine, Helene, Geraldine, and Lorraine.
LoraineCorrineHeleneGeraldineLorraineBerniceMinnieSallie
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Pauline | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 56 | #2957 |
| 2024 | 45 | #3459 |
| 2023 | 63 | #2730 |
| 2022 | 58 | #2894 |
| 2021 | 49 | #3250 |
| 2020 | 53 | #3015 |
| 2019 | 50 | #3172 |
| 2018 | 62 | #2744 |
| 2017 | 60 | #2816 |
| 2016 | 63 | #2739 |
| 2015 | 78 | #2351 |
| 2014 | 68 | #2582 |
| 2013 | 64 | #2706 |
| 2012 | 66 | #2679 |
| 2011 | 68 | #2614 |
| 2010 | 54 | #3075 |
| 2009 | 56 | #3047 |
| 2008 | 68 | #2690 |
| 2007 | 95 | #2117 |
| 2006 | 88 | #2186 |
| 2005 | 114 | #1731 |
| 2004 | 105 | #1811 |
| 2003 | 150 | #1348 |
| 2002 | 145 | #1338 |
| 2001 | 129 | #1458 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Pauline a popular girl name?
Pauline ranked #2957 among girls in 2025 with 56 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2351.
When was the name Pauline most popular?
Pauline peaked in 1918, when 7,222 American girls received the name (ranked #35 that year). Since 1918 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Pauline?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 32,143 newborn American girls was named Pauline. It scores 71/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.