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National Paula Day

A name day on December 29 honoring individuals named Paula and celebrating the name's Latin roots, historical legacy, and cultural contributions.

Tuesday

December 2026

Last updated March 21, 2026 · by the Holiday Calendar Team

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YEARLY DATEDecember 29

OBSERVED INUnited States

CATEGORYNames

ORIGIN

Community Origin

FOUNDING ENTITY

Not documented

FIRST OBSERVED

Not documented

HOW THE HOLIDAY CAME TO BE

No documented founder or formal establishment record has been identified. The observance appears in online holiday calendars from the early 2000s as part of the broader trend of informal name-day celebrations.

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INTRO

Introduction

PHOTO

The name Paula traces back to a fourth-century Roman noblewoman who abandoned senatorial wealth to build monasteries in Bethlehem, and it spent much of the twentieth century as one of America's most popular girls' names. National Paula Day marks a name whose bearers have set marathon world records, topped Billboard charts, and dominated bestseller lists.

Portugal claims the highest concentration of Paulas on the planet, but the name's American story is just as striking: it climbed from obscurity to the SSA top 40 in barely a decade, then faded just as fast. The holiday captures that arc at the close of the calendar year.

ORIGINS

Paula Day history

INTRODUCTION

Paula comes from the Latin family name Paulus, meaning "small" or "humble." The masculine form gained wide recognition through the Apostle Paul, and the feminine version spread across Europe as Christianity expanded through the Roman Empire and the medieval church.

The name's most influential early bearer was Saint Paula of Rome, born in 347 AD into a patrician family with deep ties to the Roman Senate. After the death of her husband, she became a follower of Saint Jerome and devoted her remaining years to religious scholarship and charitable work.

CHAPTER 01

A Noblewoman in Bethlehem

In 385, Paula left Rome with her daughter Eustochium and traveled to the Holy Land on an extensive pilgrimage. She settled in Bethlehem, where she and Jerome established a double monastery, one for women under Paula's leadership and one for monks.

Paula also built a roadside hospice for pilgrims traveling to the site of the Nativity. She died in Bethlehem in 404 and was later canonized, with her feast day observed on January 26.

CHAPTER 02

Mid-Century Popularity Surge

In the United States, Paula entered the Social Security Administration's top 100 baby names in the late 1940s and climbed steadily. By 1954, it reached its peak at number 38, part of a wave of Latinate girls' names that included Linda, Donna, and Barbara. The name held strong through the 1960s, still ranking in the top 50 as late as 1964.

CHAPTER 03

From Pop Charts to a Name-Day Calendar

The name gained renewed cultural visibility through high-profile Paulas in entertainment, sports, and literature. Paula Abdul's debut album in 1988 launched a pop career that would also include eight seasons as a judge on American Idol.

Today, about 372,000 Americans carry the name, though it has been steadily declining since the 1970s. National Paula Day appeared on informal online holiday calendars in the early 2000s as part of the broader name-day movement, though no specific founder or formal establishment has been documented.

TIMELINE

National Paula Day Timeline

Saint Paula born in Rome

Paula of Rome, a wealthy senatorial noblewoman who would later renounce her fortune for monastic life, was born into one of the city's most prominent families.

Paula peaks at #38 in the US

The Social Security Administration recorded Paula as the 38th most popular name for baby girls, its highest ranking in American history.

Paula Abdul tops Billboard four times

Paula Abdul's debut album Forever Your Girl produced four number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, a feat unmatched by any debut pop album at the time.

Paula Radcliffe sets marathon record

British runner Paula Radcliffe completed the London Marathon in 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 25 seconds, a women's world record that would stand for 16 years.

Paula Hawkins becomes bestselling author

Paula Hawkins' debut thriller The Girl on the Train spent 13 consecutive weeks atop The New York Times bestseller list and went on to sell over 23 million copies worldwide.

Paula ranks #751 in the US

The name fell to 751st in the Social Security Administration's annual rankings, reflecting a decades-long decline from its mid-century peak.

GET INVOLVED

How to Celebrate National Paula Day

Research your name's patron saint

Read about Saint Paula of Rome and her partnership with Saint Jerome in Bethlehem. Her story connects the name to early Christian scholarship and one of the most important Bible translations in history.

WATCH

Watch a classic Paula Abdul performance

Queue up the music video for 'Straight Up' or 'Opposites Attract' to revisit the late-1980s pop era that made Paula Abdul a household name. Her career arc from choreographer to pop star to television judge shaped entertainment across three decades.

PICK

Pick up a Paula Hawkins novel

Start with The Girl on the Train, the debut psychological thriller that became one of the fastest-selling novels in UK publishing history. Her follow-up novels Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning continue the suspense.

TRACE

Trace Paula's popularity on the SSA database

Visit the Social Security Administration's baby names explorer and chart Paula's trajectory from its 1954 peak to its present-day ranking. Compare it against related names like Pauline, Paulette, and Paola to see how naming fashions shift across decades.

SEND

Send a year-end note to the Paulas you know

The holiday falls three days before New Year's Eve, making it a natural occasion to write a short message recognizing a friend, relative, or colleague named Paula. A handwritten card or personal text carries more weight than a generic social media post.

WHY THIS DAY MATTERS

Why We Love National Paula Day

It reflects a generational naming pattern

The average American named Paula is approximately 60 years old, placing the name squarely in the baby boom generation. Tracking Paula's rise and decline mirrors broader shifts in how American parents choose names, from Latinate classics to newer inventions.

It anchors a name with deep historical roots

Saint Paula of Rome funded the construction of monasteries and a pilgrim hospice in Bethlehem, directly supporting the scholarship that produced the Latin Vulgate Bible. The holiday surfaces a 1,600-year naming tradition that most modern bearers may not know they carry.

It spotlights record-setting athletic achievement

Paula Radcliffe held the women's marathon world record longer than any other runner in the event's modern era, reshaping expectations for women's distance racing. Her dominance helped secure increased prize parity and broadcast coverage for women's elite marathons.

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What does the Latin name Paulus, from which Paula is derived, mean?

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