Pauline vs Amelia
How Pauline and Amelia 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 Pauline (girls) vs Amelia (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 | Pauline | Amelia |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1918 — 7,222 girls | 2021 — 13,032 girls |
| Peak rank | #35 | #4 |
| Most recent rank (1938) | #97 (2,666 births) | #4 (12,699 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 166,179 | 204,529 |
| Last 10 years (1929–1938) | 36,302 | 124,049 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Amelia reached 13,032 US births in 2021 — 5,810 more than Pauline'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 | Pauline births | Amelia births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1888 | Pauline | 393 | 0 |
| 2000 | Amelia | 0 | 1,531 |
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.
Amelia — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana | #3 | 1,899 |
| 2 | Alaska | #3 | 333 |
| 3 | Indiana | #3 | 2,887 |
| 4 | West Virginia | #3 | 747 |
| 5 | Kentucky | #3 | 1,855 |
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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 →