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Pauline

The name Pauline peaked for boys at #903 in 1905. Pauline is occasionally used for girls in 2025.

The name Pauline is a girl's name of French origin meaning "small".

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Pauline had its moment of glory a century ago, when movie audiences were thrilling to the silent serial The Perils of Pauline, released in 1914. A Top 50 name in the US between 1908 and 1930, it fell off the charts in the 1990s — but with the interest in Marjorie, Josephine, Polly, and Jacqueline, could Pauline be ready for revival?
 
While Pauline is a French femininization of the classic Paul, it was actually favored in the US before its French heyday. As it left the charts in America, the UK, and Switzerland, it spiked upwards in France, making the Top 10 in the 90s and remaining in the Top 100 until as recently as 2018. Now on decline there, could that be another sign it's ready for reconsideration elsewhere?
 Meaning "small" or "humble", Pauline was given to 56 babies in the US in a recent, revealing its stayed fairly steady in its usage since the 2000s. Similar Paulina is now preferred, given to 346 girls in the same year.
 Pauline was the name of Napoleon Buonaparte's favorite sister, and in literature there is a Pauline in Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale and in Sir Walter Scott's The Fortunes of Nigel.Vin Diesel chose this name for his daughter in a poignant tribute to his late friend and costar, Paul Walker.
 
The pronunciation of the name varies depending on language and location. English speakers are likely to be familiar with paw-LEEN, while in French, it's said with both syllables emphasized (PAW-LEEN). You may also hear pow-LEE-nuh (German) and pow-LIN (Swedish).

Old-Fashioned Girl Names

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The name Pauline is currently ranked #975 in U.S. births. and peaked for girls at #32 in 1915. It is currently rising in popularity. The name is most popular in PAULINE, PAULINE, and PAULINE. Pauline is occasionally used for boys in 1964.

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Year	US rank	Births	Per million
2014	—	0	0
2015	—	0	0
2016	—	0	0
2017	—	0	0
2018	—	0	0
2019	—	0	0
2020	—	0	0
2021	—	0	0
2022	—	0	0
2023	—	0	0
2024	—	0	0
2025	—	0	0