| Paul | Roy | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Small, humble | king |
| Origin | French | french |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | POL | roy |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1957 (27,012) | 1947 (7,560) |
| In 2025 | 1,316 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Paul | Roy |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 8,125 | 3,166 |
| 2010s | 19,030 | 5,017 |
| 2000s | 30,964 | 5,581 |
| 1990s | 58,931 | 8,601 |
| 1980s | 104,397 | 14,308 |
| 1970s | 136,390 | 22,353 |
| 1960s | 242,503 | 40,047 |
| 1950s | 253,202 | 61,847 |
| 1940s | 183,364 | 65,648 |
| 1930s | 125,774 | 51,495 |
| 1920s | 132,384 | 63,259 |
| 1910s | 78,216 | 40,340 |
| 1900s | 12,636 | 10,632 |
| 1890s | 8,181 | 9,779 |
| 1880s | 4,196 | 6,565 |
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 Old French 'roy/roi', meaning 'king'. Note a second, separate origin: the Scottish Gaelic nickname 'ruadh' ('red', of hair/complexion) — so Roy can mean 'king' (French) or 'red' (Gaelic) depending on the bearer.
Paul is more popular than Roy today: about 1,316 US babies were given the name Paul in 2025, compared with 0 named Roy.
Paul means Small, humble (French origin), while Roy means king (french origin).
In US records, Paul first appears in 1880 and Roy in 0, so Roy has the longer recorded history.