Fun Facts About the Name Paloma
- More than 10 thousand babies named Paloma: U.S. records list 10,759 babies given the name Paloma from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Paloma Mean?
Paloma is a Spanish feminine name meaning "dove" (or "pigeon"). It comes from the Spanish noun paloma, which descends from Late Latin palumba, the feminine form of Latin palumbēs (also written palumbus), meaning "wood pigeon" or "ringdove." The bird sense is the firm part of the etymology; the name's literal meaning is the bird itself.
The deeper origin of the Latin word is not settled. Some reference works connect it to a reconstructed Indo-European root having to do with beating or fluttering wings, but that link is speculative and treated differently from one dictionary to another. Separately, Christian tradition uses the dove as a symbol of peace and of the Holy Spirit; that is a customary symbolic reading attached to the bird, not part of the word's literal meaning.
Paloma is not related to Latin columba, the other Latin word for a dove, which stands behind the name Columba and the surname Colombo. Spanish paloma comes from palumbēs, a different Latin bird word, and the two should not be merged.
Paloma Name History & Origins
Paloma is a traditional Spanish given name. The noun paloma is the ordinary Spanish word for a dove or pigeon and appears in medieval Spanish; palomo is the matching word for the male bird. Because the noun was in everyday use for the bird, the personal name has the character of an ordinary Spanish name rather than a borrowing from another language.
From Spain the name spread to Spanish-speaking Latin America, where it is also used. Other Romance languages have related bird words from the same Latin source, such as Italian palomba (ringdove) and Portuguese pomba (dove); Portuguese and Brazilian usage also includes Paloma as a given name, alongside the more common Portuguese word pomba.
In Madrid, an image of the Virgin known as the Virgen de la Paloma is honored with a festival on August 15 and a popular verbena. The name Paloma happens to coincide with this devotion, but the surviving evidence does not show that the devotion produced the given name.
A later strand of association is musical and artistic rather than etymological. The habanera "La Paloma" ("The Dove"), composed by the Basque-Spanish musician Sebastián Iradier in the 1860s, became one of the most widely sung songs in the world. Paloma Picasso, daughter of Pablo Picasso, and the British singer Paloma Faith are well-known bearers of the name in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. These are famous uses of the name, not its source.
How Popular is the Name Paloma?
Paloma recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2009. Its best rank was #703 in 2010.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #793 | 343 | 0.0213% |
| 2024 | #971 | 267 | 0.0166% |
| 2023 | #974 | 265 | 0.0165% |
| 2022 | #959 | 280 | 0.0171% |
| 2021 | #883 | 309 | 0.0188% |
| 2020 | #940 | 273 | 0.0169% |
| 2019 | #915 | 290 | 0.0173% |
| 2018 | #904 | 298 | 0.0175% |
| 2017 | #891 | 303 | 0.0176% |
| 2016 | #946 | 290 | 0.0164% |
| 2015 | #903 | 306 | 0.0171% |
| 2014 | #871 | 314 | 0.0176% |
| 2013 | #758 | 359 | 0.0205% |
| 2012 | #788 | 346 | 0.0197% |
| 2011 | #834 | 317 | 0.0180% |
| 2010 | #703 | 407 | 0.0229% |
| 2009 | #706 | 411 | 0.0224% |
| 2008 | #779 | 377 | 0.0199% |
| 2007 | #857 | 329 | 0.0171% |
| 2006 | #847 | 317 | 0.0167% |
| 2005 | #838 | 303 | 0.0164% |
| 2004 | #853 | 289 | 0.0157% |
| 2003 | #861 | 281 | 0.0154% |
| 2002 | #932 | 241 | 0.0134% |
| 2001 | #841 | 272 | 0.0151% |
| 2000 | #898 | 245 | 0.0135% |
| 1999 | #1,016 | 202 | 0.0114% |
| 1998 | #979 | 207 | 0.0117% |
| 1997 | #922 | 216 | 0.0124% |
| 1996 | #960 | 201 | 0.0115% |
| 1995 | #1,010 | 184 | 0.0105% |
| 1994 | #960 | 194 | 0.0109% |
| 1993 | #988 | 188 | 0.0104% |
| 1992 | #1,013 | 186 | 0.0101% |
| 1991 | #1,119 | 159 | 0.0085% |
| 1990 | #1,221 | 138 | 0.0073% |
| 1989 | #1,325 | 118 | 0.0064% |
| 1988 | #1,517 | 89 | 0.0050% |
| 1987 | #1,715 | 71 | 0.0041% |
| 1986 | #1,416 | 91 | 0.0053% |
| 1985 | #1,876 | 60 | 0.0035% |
| 1984 | #1,395 | 84 | 0.0050% |
| 1983 | #1,901 | 55 | 0.0033% |
| 1982 | #1,865 | 58 | 0.0034% |
| 1981 | #2,363 | 42 | 0.0025% |
| 1980 | #2,925 | 31 | 0.0019% |
| 1979 | #2,911 | 30 | 0.0019% |
| 1978 | #3,170 | 25 | 0.0016% |
| 1977 | #3,238 | 24 | 0.0016% |
| 1976 | #4,102 | 16 | 0.0011% |
| 1975 | #6,306 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1974 | #5,646 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1973 | #6,490 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1972 | #5,798 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1969 | #8,321 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1927 | #4,687 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1922 | #5,617 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1921 | #4,963 | 6 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Paloma
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with P
How the Name Paloma Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Paloma's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Paloma's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.