| Beau | Paul | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Handsome | Small, humble |
| Origin | French | French |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | BOH | POL |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1932 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2025 (5,165) | 1957 (27,012) |
| In 2025 | 5,165 | 1,316 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Beau | Paul |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 25,086 | 8,125 |
| 2010s | 17,768 | 19,030 |
| 2000s | 6,134 | 30,964 |
| 1990s | 5,617 | 58,931 |
| 1980s | 7,174 | 104,397 |
| 1970s | 3,145 | 136,390 |
| 1960s | 472 | 242,503 |
| 1950s | 123 | 253,202 |
| 1940s | 68 | 183,364 |
| 1930s | 5 | 125,774 |
| 1920s | 0 | 132,384 |
| 1910s | 0 | 78,216 |
| 1900s | 0 | 12,636 |
| 1890s | 0 | 8,181 |
| 1880s | 0 | 4,196 |
Beau comes directly from the French for “handsome” or “beautiful.”
Paul comes from the Latin Paulus, “small, humble.” The apostle Paul — originally Saul of Tarsus — became one of the foundational figures of Christianity, spreading the name across the world.
Beau is more popular than Paul today: about 5,165 US babies were given the name Beau in 2025, compared with 1,316 named Paul.
Beau means Handsome (French origin), while Paul means Small, humble (French origin).
In US records, Beau first appears in 1932 and Paul in 1880, so Paul has the longer recorded history.