Paula
Meaning of Paula
Paula stems from the ancient Latin family name Paulus—“small” or “humble”—and first gained prominence through Saint Paula of Rome, a fourth-century aristocrat who traded wealth for pilgrimage and scholarship beside Saint Jerome; because of her, the name traveled quickly through the Iberian Peninsula and Italy, where it is voiced POW-lah, while English speakers render it simply PAW-luh. Its crisp cadence and modest meaning make Paula a quiet classic, neither exotic nor plain, and it threads through modern culture via figures as varied as Spanish novelist Paula Gómez, German expressionist painter Paula Modersohn-Becker, and American entertainer Paula Abdul. U.S. birth data trace a dramatic arc: soaring from the 1940s into the early 1970s, when it broke into the Top 60, then easing into today’s lower-mid rankings, a pattern that signals established familiarity without overuse. As a result, parents who choose Paula tap into a legacy that feels Roman in root, Mediterranean in melody, and universally approachable in everyday life.
Pronunciation
American English
- Pronunced as PAW-luh (/'pɑlə/)
British English
- Pronunced as PAW-luh (/'pɔːlə/)
Italian
- Pronunced as POW-lah (/'pɔːla/)
Spanish
- Pronunced as POW-lah (/poʊˈlɑ/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Paula
| Paula Abdul rose from a Lakers cheerleader to a renowned choreographer and singer after being discovered by the Jacksons and working with Janet Jackson. |
| Paula Radcliffe is a retired British long-distance runner who held the women's marathon world record for 16 years and won multiple major marathons. |
| Dame Maria Paula Figueiroa Rego was a celebrated Portuguese visual artist renowned for her storybook-inspired paintings and prints that often explored feminist themes with Portuguese folk influences. |
| Paula Creamer is an American professional golfer who has won 12 tournaments, including the 2010 U.S. Women's Open, and reached as high as number 2 in the world rankings. |
| Paula Modersohn-Becker was a pioneering German Expressionist painter, celebrated as the first woman to create nude self-portraits and depict pregnancy in art. |
| Paula Badosa Gibert is a Spanish tennis star who reached world No. 2, won four WTA singles titles including Indian Wells, and made the 2025 Australian Open semifinals. |
| Paula Deen is an American chef, author, and TV personality who published fifteen cookbooks and co-owned The Lady & Sons restaurant with her sons until its closure in 2025. |
| Paula Elizabeth Yates was a British TV presenter and writer, best known for The Tube and The Big Breakfast, who garnered intense media scrutiny due to her relationships with musicians Bob Geldof and Michael Hutchence. |
| Paula Vogel is an acclaimed American playwright known for her provocative explorations of social issues and psychological trauma, earning her the Pulitzer Prize and induction into the American Theater Hall of Fame. |
| Paula Maxine Patton is an American actress and producer known for her roles in films such as Hitch, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and Precious. |
| Paula Morris - Paula Jane Kiri Morris is a New Zealand novelist, short-story writer, editor, and literary academic who serves as an associate professor at the University of Auckland and founded the Academy of New Zealand Literature. |
| Paula Kauffman Wagner is an American film producer and studio executive known for her work on "Marshall" and "Pretty Woman: The Musical." |
| Paula Pell is an American comedy writer, producer, and actress acclaimed for her Emmy Award-winning work on Saturday Night Live and multiple Writers Guild Awards. |
| Paula Susan Bontempi is an oceanographer who pioneered the use of satellites in marine science during her career at NASA and as dean at the University of Rhode Island. |
| Paula Fox was an acclaimed American author who won the Newbery Medal and other prestigious awards for her children's and adult books, enjoying a career revival in the 1990s. |
