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