Paul
Paul is a male given name: 99% of people named Paul are men, and it is recorded as male in 19 of the 19 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 99% male / 1% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Great Britain, Malta
- US births since 1880
- 1,386,815 male / 5,845 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Paul
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Paul," in English, "Guten Tag Paul," in German. Paul is a male given name: about 99% of people named Paul are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Paul,
German
Guten Tag Paul,
French
Bonjour Paul,
Spanish
Estimado/a Paul:
Chinese
Paul您好：
Japanese
Paul様
English
Hi Paul,
German
Hi Paul,
French
Salut Paul,
Spanish
Hola Paul,
Chinese
Paul你好：
Japanese
Paulさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | man's name | 100% |
| Great Britain | common | man's name | 98% |
| Malta | common | man's name | 98% |
| Belgium | common | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | common | man's name | 98% |
| Ireland | common | man's name | 98% |
| Luxembourg | common | man's name | 98% |
| Netherlands | common | man's name | 98% |
| France | common | man's name | 98% |
| Romania | common | man's name | 98% |
| Austria | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Germany | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
Show all 19 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Frisia | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Denmark | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Sweden | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Estonia | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Norway | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Israel | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Spain | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
1,386,815 male · 5,845 female · 1,392,660 births recorded
Since 1980: 100% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Paul a male or female name?
Paul is a male given name: 99% of people named Paul are men, and it is recorded as male in 19 of the 19 countries covered.
How do I address Paul in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Paul," in English, "Guten Tag Paul," in German. Paul is a male given name: about 99% of people named Paul are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Paul a unisex name?
Paul is not a unisex name: 99% of people named Paul are men. Paul leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Paul a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/paul (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_paul,
title = {Is Paul a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/paul},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}