33 Variations of Paul

To the thousands of girls who screamed the name of their favorite Beatle in the 1960s, the boys' name Paul had a thrillingly unique image, but to the rest of the world, then and now, it's a name that's so simple and yet so widely diffuse that it could belong to almost anyone. Paul is an ancient name for boys -- popular in Roman and medieval times -- that's not very fashionable now, which can work in its favor, scarcity balancing simplicity.

Pablo, the commonly used Spanish version of Paul, has the added bonus of some fantastic artistic bearers: painter Picasso, cellist Casals, and poet Neruda. Pablo has been consistently in the US charts since records began, and has been within the Top 500 since the mid 60s. However, Pablo has never cracked the Top 200, making it familiar but not overused or tired.

Paolo is an irresistibly lush Italian name for boys, worlds more romantic than its spare English equivalent.

Pavel may be widespread in the former Soviet Union, but it has a somewhat impoverished image here.

A very common name in Catalonia, in the northeast of Spain, in no small part because it translates as "peace" in the Catalan tongue. Alec and HIlaria Baldwin used it as one of the middle names for their son Eduardo.

Your little Pasha will rule the roost. In Russia, Pasha is traditionally given to a boy born on Good Friday.

Pavlo has more energy than the Russian Pavel, perhaps because it sounds like the Spanish Pablo.

Pol, pronounced as "pole," though a popular Breton name, would be an unusual form of a simple classic elsewhere. The Breton Saint Pol Aurelian was known as a slayer of dragons and a founder of monasteries.

Paulo suffers in comparison to the richer and more authentic-sounding Paolo.

This international variation deserves its own listing for a winning combination of distinctiveness and simplicity.

Paulin's -in suffix and two-syllable rhythm make this a fashionable alternative to the original, though it looks like an abbreviation of Pauline.

Russian diminutive of Paul.