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 [ 2 syll. pau-la, pa-ula ] The girl name Paula is pronounced PAOLah KEY. Paula's language of origin is Latin. It is predominantly used in English, French, German, and Spanish. Derived from the word paulus which is of the meaning 'little, humble'. The name developed as a Latinate feminine form of Paul. It was borne by several minor Christian saints, most notably Saint Paula (347-404), patron saint of widows. The name was first adopted in the Middle Ages by English speakers. Paula is the feminine equivalent of the English, French, and German Paul. The name Paula is widely used; it has 30 forms that are used in both English and foreign languages. English forms of the name include Lapaula, Lepaula, Paoletta, Paulena, Paulene, Pauletha, Pauletta, Pauli, Paulie, Paulina (used in German and Slavic too), Pauline (used in French and German too), Paulinique, Paulisa, Paulita (used in Spanish too), Pauly, Polli, Pollie, and Polly. Another English variant is the pet form Paulette (used in French too). Forms of Paula used in foreign languages include the Italian Paola, the Italian Paolina, the French Paule, the Finnish Pauliina, the Czech and Russian Pavla, the Czech and Russian Pavlina, the Russian Pavlinka, the Polish Pawlina, the Polish Pola, the Polish Polcia, and the Russian Polina. Paula is an all-time favorite. Currently it is still a rather popular baby girl name, but to a lesser degree than it was previously. The name increased in popularity from the 1900s up to the 1960s; prior to that, it was of only modest use. At the height of its usage in 1963, 0.510% of baby girls were named Paula. It was #42 in rank then. The baby name has seen a steep decline in frequency since then. In 2008, it ranked at #681 with a usage of 0.021%. Within the family of girl names directly related to Paula, the Italian Paola was the most regularly used. The name was twice as popular as Paula in 2008. Baby names that sound like Paula include the Hawaiian Pali, the Italian Paola, the English Pauli, the English Paulie, the English Pauly, the Czech and Russian Pavla, the Polish Pela, the Spanish Pili, the Polish Pola, the English Polli, the English Pollie, the English Polly, the Hawaiian Palila, and the French Paule. Details of famous persons named Paula: KEY: Pronunciation for Paula: P as in "pee (P.IY)" ; AO as in "ought (AO.T)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)"   |
