Poul
A Scandinavian masculine name derived from the Latin name Paulus or Paul.
Name Census estimates that about 34 living Americans carry the first name Poul. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Poul today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Poul births was 1970 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Poul. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Poul. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
34
~ 1 in 10,081,010 Americans
Peak year
1970
8 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1995 SSA rank
#9,928
Tracked since 1944
Popularity
Poul: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Poul from the 1940s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 19 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Poul by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Poul during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Poul
The name Poul originates from the Latin name Paulus, which can be traced back to the ancient Roman era. Paulus was a Roman family name derived from the Latin adjective "paulus," meaning "small" or "humble." It was a common name among Romans and later adopted by early Christians.
In the New Testament of the Bible, Paulus, better known as Paul or St. Paul, was one of the most influential figures in the early Christian church. Born in Tarsus around 5 AD, he was a Jew who converted to Christianity and played a significant role in spreading the religion throughout the Roman Empire. His letters, known as the Pauline epistles, form a significant portion of the New Testament.
The name Poul emerged as a variation of Paulus in several European languages, including Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish. It gained popularity in Scandinavia during the medieval period, influenced by the spread of Christianity in the region.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Poul can be found in the Danish Gesta Danorum, a 12th-century work by the historian Saxo Grammaticus. The text mentions a Danish king named Poul, who ruled in the late 9th century.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Poul. One of the most famous was Poul Møller (1879-1965), a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. Another notable Poul was Poul Anderson (1926-2001), an American science fiction author known for his works such as "Tau Zero" and "Brain Wave."
In the field of science, Poul Heegaard (1871-1948) was a Danish mathematician renowned for his contributions to topology, particularly the Heegaard splitting of 3-manifolds. Poul la Cour (1846-1908) was a Danish scientist and inventor who pioneered the development of modern wind turbines.
In the arts, Poul Gernes (1925-1996) was a Danish artist and sculptor known for his vibrant, colorful works and his contribution to the Scandinavian modern art movement. Poul Henningsen (1894-1967) was a Danish writer, architect, and designer, best known for creating the iconic Artichoke lamp.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Poul throughout history, showcasing its enduring presence across various fields and cultures.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Poul
People
Poul + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Poul as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Poul: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Poul?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 34 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Poul going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 10,081,010 US residents.
Is Poul a common name?
We classify Poul as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 39 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Poul most popular?
The single biggest year for Poul was 1970, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Poul is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Poul a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Poul in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.