Skip to content

Paulina

paw-LEE-nuh /pɔːˈliːnə/

At a glance

In short
Paulina stems from the ancient Roman family name Paulus; as a feminine diminutive it literally means “small,” though modern ears often hear a gentler “modest” in its echo.
U.S. rank 2025
#783 of girl names
Babies in 2025
346 (0.020% of girls)
Trend
Steady #830 in 2020 #783 in 2025
Peak
#365 in 2002
First recorded
1880

Meaning of Paulina

Paulina stems from the ancient Roman family name Paulus; as a feminine diminutive it literally means “small,” though modern ears often hear a gentler “modest” in its echo. Carried by early saints, a Bonaparte princess, and Shakespeare’s clear-eyed heroine in The Winter’s Tale, the name moves easily between chapel, salon, and stage. Its continental flair survives in Spanish, Italian, and English pronunciation alike, offering parents an international badge without linguistic contortions. In the United States it has maintained a courteous distance from the popularity spotlight—hovering in the lower half of the Top 1000 for over a century—so a modern Paulina is unlikely to share her name with every classmate, yet won’t spend recess teaching others to spell it. Diminutives range from brisk Polly to streamlined Lina, giving the bearer room to adjust the formality dial as life requires. Small in etymology but notably versatile, Paulina delivers a quietly confident choice for families after something familiar, cosmopolitan, and pleasantly under-used.

How to pronounce Paulina

English

Italian

Spanish

Popularity of Paulina in the U.S.

Paulina was the #783 girl name in the U.S. in 2025, with 346 babies. It peaked at #365 in 2002 and has been in the top 1,000 since 1988.

Bar and line chart: Paulina in the U.S., 1880–2025. Bars: girls given the name each year, most 822 in 2002 and 346 in 2025. Line: rank among girl names, peak #365 in 2002, #783 in 2025.
  • Girls named Paulina (left scale)
  • Rank among U.S. girl names (right scale, #1 at the top)
By year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA. Download: PNG · SVG
Year-by-year table, 1880⁠–⁠2025 146 rows
YearBabiesRankvs previous year
2025346783▼ 1
2024361782▼ 9
2023364773▲ 20
2022356793▲ 4
2021355797▲ 33
2020329830▼ 2
2019328828▲ 90
2018292918▼ 38
2017311880▼ 107
2016368773▲ 107
2015315880▲ 76
2014280956▼ 128
2013323828▲ 6
2012321834▼ 71
2011361763▼ 41
2010390722▼ 86
2009469636▼ 56
2008531580▼ 87
2007657493▲ 10
2006607503▼ 106
2005791397▲ 17
2004738414▲ 3
2003725417▼ 52
2002822365▲ 63
2001648428▲ 49
2000574477▼ 24
1999589453▲ 79
1998475532▼ 49
1997519483▲ 29
1996464512▲ 37
1995428549▲ 5
1994437554▼ 34
1993470520▲ 29
1992428549▲ 14
1991415563▲ 5
1990409568▲ 116
1989295684▲ 273
1988174957▲ 141
19871381,098▲ 174
19861061,272▲ 634
1985581,906▼ 447
1984791,459▲ 241
1983641,700▼ 16
1982671,684▼ 135
1981771,549▲ 465
1980522,014▲ 6
1979502,020▼ 158
1978531,862▼ 30
1977551,832▲ 342
1976392,174▲ 104
1975362,278▼ 458
1974481,820▼ 15
1973471,805▲ 875
1972262,680▼ 852
1971481,828▼ 24
1970491,804▲ 93
1969431,897▲ 127
1968352,024▲ 248
1967282,272▼ 445
1966391,827▲ 87
1965361,914▲ 498
1964262,412▼ 48
1963262,364▼ 251
1962312,113▼ 220
1961371,893▲ 476
1960252,369▼ 30
1959242,339▲ 523
1958172,862▼ 834
1957292,028▲ 594
1956192,622▼ 211
1955212,411▼ 116
1954222,295▲ 6
1953212,301▼ 227
1952242,074▼ 106
1951251,968▼ 97
1950261,871▲ 263
1949212,134▲ 121
1948192,255▲ 382
1947152,637▼ 543
1946202,094▲ 55
1945162,149▲ 362
1944132,511▼ 760
1943241,751▲ 463
1942162,214▲ 454
1941112,668▼ 1,077
1940241,591▲ 290
1939181,881▲ 140
1938162,021▲ 80
1937152,101▼ 300
1936181,801▼ 138
1935211,663▼ 145
1934241,518▲ 88
1933221,606▼ 459
1932391,147▲ 1
1931391,148▲ 141
1930341,289▼ 274
1929511,015▼ 113
192866902▲ 206
1927471,108▼ 29
1926481,079▼ 238
192578841▲ 417
1924401,258▲ 9
1923381,267▲ 18
1922371,285▲ 89
1921341,374▼ 62
1920351,312▲ 169
1919281,481▼ 204
1918351,277▲ 125
1917281,402▲ 43
1916261,445▼ 255
1915331,190▲ 9
1914261,199▲ 402
1913141,601▼ 304
1912171,297▼ 56
1911141,241▲ 180
1910111,421▼ 131
1909111,290▼ 29
1908111,261▼ 55
1907111,206▲ 745
190651,951▼ 713
1905101,238▲ 248
190471,486▼ 349
1903101,137▲ 183
190281,320▲ 146
190161,466▼ 235
1900101,231▲ 47
189971,278▼ 315
189813963▼ 68
189713895▼ 52
189615843▼ 28
189515815▲ 35
189413850▲ 51
189311901▼ 40
189212861▼ 111
189113750▲ 256
189081,006▲ 141
188961,147▼ 310
188810837▼ 176
188712661▲ 236
18867897▲ 150
188551,047▼ 433
188412614▲ 140
18837754▼ 120
18829634▼ 11
18818623▼ 76
188010547–

Paulina by state

Paulina ranks #372 in Arizona (2025).

Map: Paulina's 2025 rank among girl names in each U.S. state
Rank among girl names by state, 2025. Source: SSA. Download: PNG · SVG
Rank by state 15 states
StateRankBabies
Arizona37218
Texas38388
Florida50236
California53062
Colorado6348
Illinois74812
North Carolina78012
Massachusetts8735
Washington9156
Tennessee9836
Indiana1,0325
Georgia1,0758
Pennsylvania1,1087
Michigan1,2105
New York2,0755
U.S. territories
Puerto Rico4326

Notable people named Paulina

  • Paulina Rubio, known as "The Golden Girl," is a Mexican singer, songwriter, and TV personality who gained fame with Timbiriche and has sold over 15 million records as a solo artist.
  • Paulina Porizkova is a Czech-born fashion model, author, and actress who made history as the first Central European woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in 1984.
  • Paulina Vega Dieppa, a Colombian model and business administrator, won Miss Universe 2014 after being crowned Miss Colombia 2013, making her the second Colombian to win the title.
  • Chief Paulina, also known as Pahninee, was a Northern Paiute war leader celebrated for his guerrilla tactics, active from 1859 until his death in 1867.
  • Paulina Olegovna Andreeva is a Russian actress recognized for her roles in "The Method" and "Better than Us."
More people named Paulina 8 more
  • Paulina Gaitán Ruiz is a Mexican actress renowned for her role as Pablo Escobar's wife in the Netflix series Narcos.
  • Paulina Lavitz, also known as Pepi Lavitz, was a Polish-born actress in American Yiddish theatre.
  • Paulina Patience Tangoba Abagaye is a Ghanaian diplomat and former ambassador to Italy who served as the Upper East Regional Minister and is a member of the New Patriotic Party.
  • Paulina Cagara is a chess player from Poland.
  • Paulina Käte Krumbiegel is a German international midfielder who plays for Juventus in Serie A, following her previous stint with TSG Hoffenheim.
  • Paulina Harriet de Gorostarzou was a French-Spanish industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Colegio Nuestra Señora de Lourdes in Valladolid in 1884.
  • Paulina Margarita Gálvez Pineda, a Salvadoran-Colombian model and beauty queen, won the Miss International pageant in 1999 in Tokyo, Japan, where she was also named Miss Photogenic as the second winner from her country.
  • Paulina Paluch is a Polish athlete who competed in the women's 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics.