Paula vs Charlotte
How Paula and Charlotte compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Paula (girls) vs Charlotte (girls), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Paula | Charlotte |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1963 — 10,151 girls | 2025 — 13,400 girls |
| Peak rank | #42 | #2 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #855 (318 births) | #2 (13,400 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 231,394 | 371,325 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 3,495 | 130,337 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Charlotte reached 13,400 US births in 2025 — 3,249 more than Paula's peak count.
Crossover Years
Years where one name first passed the other in annual US births. A name "winning" in a year means it had more births that year, not necessarily a higher rank.
| Year | New leader | Paula births | Charlotte births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Paula | 6,102 | 5,386 |
| 2000 | Charlotte | 454 | 1,105 |
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's girls-name list.
Paula — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | #398 | 762 |
| 2 | Arizona | #412 | 159 |
| 3 | Florida | #479 | 350 |
| 4 | California | #571 | 576 |
| 5 | New Jersey | #757 | 65 |
Charlotte — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | #1 | 769 |
| 2 | Maine | #1 | 692 |
| 3 | Minnesota | #2 | 2,462 |
| 4 | Michigan | #2 | 4,018 |
| 5 | Virginia | #2 | 3,967 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →