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By Sophie Kihm · Sep 2026

PAH-o-la; POW-lah

Paola

OriginItalian and Spanish variation of Paula
Meaning"small"
GenderGirl
Also a boy's nameShow me Paola as a boy's name

About Paola

Variation of Paula

Pronounced PAH-o-la; POW-lah. 2 syllables.

As of September 2026, Paola ranked #1260 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #301 in 1999.

Popularity & trends

US popularity — history
US rank, lower is more popular · SSA data 2014–2025
Actual · SSA
#800#1,000#1,200TOP 1000'14'16'18'20'22'24
20142025
18802025
Data table
YearUS rankBirthsPer million
2014#680418234
2015#738383214.6
2016#843338190.7
2017#824331191.7
2018#963275161.7
2019#935283168.6
2020#957267165.2
2021#963270164.5
2022#984269164
2023#1,074231144
2024#1,081229141.3
2025#1,260178110.7
Popularity history from more than a century of Social Security Administration birth records. Years without a line are years the name fell below the published records.

See the Berry Trend for All Names

World rankings

#91🇲🇽 Mexico#260❄️ Unique

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Famous Paolas

  • Paola Ruffo di Calabria

    Queen consort of Albert II of Belgium

  • Paola Suárez

    Argentinian tennis player

  • Maria Paola Buonaparte

    birth name of Pauline Bonaparte, sister of Napoleon I

  • Paula Turbay

    American,Colombian actress

  • Paola Zizzi

    Italian physicist

  • Paola Núñez

    Mexican actress

  • Paola Antonelli

    Italian author and curator

  • Paola Tirados

    Spanish synchronized swimmer

  • Paola Perego

    Italian TV host

  • Paola Iezzi

    Italian singer of pop group Paola e Chiara

Paola in pop culture

  • Paola

    character in the "Catfish" episode "Ramon and Paola"

Paola in blog posts

Best Rare Names from 100 Years Ago

Paola on more lists

Names that Peaked in 1995
Italian Names
Italian Names for Girls
5 Letter Girl Names
Names Ending in A for Girls

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