UK girl's name
Paulina
Feminine form of the Latin name Paulinus, derived from Paulus meaning "small" or "humble".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Paulina is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Paulina popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3015, with 8 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2009, with 63 births.
This profile covers 654 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 13% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 727 living people in the UK are called Paulina. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Paulina ranked #3015 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 8 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2009, when 63 girls were registered as Paulina.
- • Paulina ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #432 in 2017.
- • About 727 living people in the UK are estimated to have Paulina as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3015
2024
Births in 2024
8
Latest year
Peak year
2009
63 births
Estimated living
727
2026
Meaning
What does Paulina mean?
Paulina is a feminine given name derived from the ancient Roman family name Paulinus, which is a derivative of the Latin name Paulus, meaning "small" or "humble". The name has its roots in the Roman Republic and the early Roman Empire, and was relatively common among both men and women during that time period.
The name Paulina can be traced back to the 1st century AD, when it was borne by several notable Roman women, including Paulina, the wife of the Roman philosopher and statesman Seneca the Younger. Another prominent figure was Pompeia Paulina, a wealthy Roman matron who lived during the reign of Emperor Nero in the 1st century AD.
In the early Christian era, the name Paulina gained popularity among followers of Christianity, as it was associated with the apostle Paul, one of the most influential figures in the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. Saint Paulina, a 4th-century Roman noblewoman and widow, was known for her charitable works and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
During the Middle Ages, the name Paulina remained in use, particularly in Italy and other parts of Europe influenced by Roman culture. One notable bearer of the name was Paulina de Leyva, a 16th-century Spanish noblewoman who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Isabella of Portugal.
In the Renaissance period, the name Paulina was popularized by William Shakespeare's play "The Winter's Tale", in which one of the main characters is named Paulina. This literary reference helped to further establish the name's usage in English-speaking regions.
Other notable historical figures named Paulina include Paulina Musters (1876-1895), a Dutch painter and illustrator, and Paulina Longworth Sturm (1898-1935), an American socialite and philanthropist.
Throughout its long history, the name Paulina has been borne by individuals from various cultural backgrounds and has maintained its popularity across different regions and time periods, reflecting its enduring appeal and connection to the rich heritage of the ancient Roman world.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Paulina over time
The chart below shows babies named Paulina registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Paulina, the clearest high point is 2009. The latest England and Wales figure is 8 births in 2024, compared with 63 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Paulina by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Paulina was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #2599 | 51 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1044 | 352 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1838 | 234 | 10 |
| 1990s | #3238 | 17 | 4 |
Geography
Where Paulina is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Paulina. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Paulina ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #432 in 2017.
Across the UK
Paulina in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#765 in 2020
10 years of NRS records, 46 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#432 in 2017
7 years of NISRA records, 31 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Paulina
-
Paulina Kewes
historian; university teacher; literary historian
Polish-British historian
1964-
-
Paulina D. Jenkins
mammalogist
British mammalogist
1945-
-
Paulina Palmer
scholar of English
British anglicist
1937-
-
Paulina Wengrover-Zalkind
businessperson
english businesswoman, a founder of the city of Nahariya, Israel
1870-1950
-
Paulina Driver
translator
Translator
1838-1907
-
Paulina Irby
writer; travel writer; philanthropist; feminist
British travel writer and suffragist (1831–1911)
1831-1911
Related
Names similar to Paulina
- Poppy 52,802
- Phoebe 47,609
- Paige 24,717
- Penelope 13,109
- Pippa 6,346
- Polly 5,678
- Philippa 4,446
- Penny 4,394
- Paris 4,372
- Piper 3,961
- Pearl 3,516
- Paisley 3,419
FAQ
Paulina: questions and answers
How popular is the name Paulina in the UK right now?
In 2024, Paulina was ranked #3015 for girls in England and Wales, with 8 births registered.
When was Paulina most popular?
The peak year on record was 2009, with 63 babies registered as Paulina in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Paulina?
Feminine form of the Latin name Paulinus, derived from Paulus meaning "small" or "humble".
How many people are called Paulina in the UK?
A total of 654 babies have been registered as Paulina across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 46 more in Scotland and 31 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Paulina most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Paulina ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #432 in 2017. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.