| Paul | Leroy | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Small, humble | the king |
| Origin | French | french |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | POL | luh-ROY |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1957 (27,012) | 1924 (3,922) |
| In 2025 | 1,316 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Paul | Leroy |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 8,125 | 1,596 |
| 2010s | 19,030 | 2,173 |
| 2000s | 30,964 | 2,159 |
| 1990s | 58,931 | 3,554 |
| 1980s | 104,397 | 5,600 |
| 1970s | 136,390 | 8,408 |
| 1960s | 242,503 | 15,220 |
| 1950s | 253,202 | 24,588 |
| 1940s | 183,364 | 33,864 |
| 1930s | 125,774 | 36,255 |
| 1920s | 132,384 | 37,871 |
| 1910s | 78,216 | 21,275 |
| 1900s | 12,636 | 4,300 |
| 1890s | 8,181 | 2,544 |
| 1880s | 4,196 | 1,574 |
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.
From the Old French 'le roi', meaning 'the king', originally a Norman nickname or occupational byname. A literal 'the king' name.
Paul is more popular than Leroy today: about 1,316 US babies were given the name Paul in 2025, compared with 0 named Leroy.
Paul means Small, humble (French origin), while Leroy means the king (french origin).
In US records, Paul first appears in 1880 and Leroy in 0, so Leroy has the longer recorded history.