The baby name Paris mixes classical roots with 21st century celebrity.
Thanks to Mikaela for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME PARIS MEAN?
Before the Eiffel Tower lived in our imaginations, long before anyone ever baked a croissant, there was a Trojan prince named Paris.
He kidnapped Helen, the most beautiful woman in the known world, and wife of the king of Sparta.
The result? The Trojan War.
There’s no definite meaning or origin for the name Paris. The best theory traces Paris to a Hittite or Luwian name, Pari-zitis, which would be truly ancient. It means “foremost man.”
The city we know so well isn’t related to mythological figure. Instead, it comes from the Parisii, a tribe that made their home along the River Seine from the Iron Age through the Roman era. They were prosperous, minting coins and engaging in trade. While the Romans briefly called the settlement Lutetia, by the 4th century it became Paris.
It’s been the capital city of France – or its predecessors – for much of its history, tracing back to the early 500s.
FAMOUS FIGURES
The name remained in use over the years, at least in small numbers
During the 4th century, Paris served as Bishop of Teano, in Campania, Italy. He’s considered a saint for taming a local dragon, or possibly killing it. The church of San Paride ad Fontem still stands in Teano today, though the current building dates to the 11th or 12th centuries.
Paride is the Italian form of the given the name. They call the City of Lights Parigi instead.
Shakespeare gave the name to two characters, including Juliet’s intended in Romeo and Juliet.
PARIS HILTON
Then along came Paris Hilton.
Born to the wealthy family of Hilton Hotels fame in 1981, she emerged as a socialite in the 1990s. By the early 2000s, Hilton had become a reality television star. From 2003 to 2007, she and friend Nicole Richie starred in The Simple Life.
Paris became an internationally-known figure. Proving the name’s unisex past, she briefly dated a Greek shipping heir named Paris Latsis.
POP CULTURE PARIS
Wealthy and privileged characters based on Paris Hilton abounded.
From 2005 to 2008, The Suite Life of Zach and Cody gave us London Tipton, a hotel heiress.
Even before that, in the year 2000, we all watched Rory go off to posh private school Chilton on Gilmore Girls. She met her rival and eventual friend, Paris Geller.
Played by Liza Weil, the Gilmore Girls character wasn’t supposed to be temporary, but ended up becoming part of the series going forward.
It’s not clear if her first name took inspiration from the Hilton heiress. After all, Amy Sherman-Palladino is a brilliant character namer.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME PARIS?
In the United States, the baby name Paris has been used in small numbers for boys. In the late 19th century, when data was first reported, Paris routinely appeared in the Top 1000 most popular names. But Paris ranked again during the 1980s and 90s.
Credit to Greek mythology. After all, in 2004 epic Troy, Orlando Bloom played Paris. Shakespeare, too, might’ve put it on some parents’ radar. Actor Pierce Brosnan and wife Keeley Shaye Smith have a 20-something son called Paris, a brother for Dylan.
Paris debuted in the Top 1000 baby girl names in the year 1985. The late singer Michael Jackson welcomed a daughter named Paris-Michael in 1998.
It wasn’t until the early 21st century that the baby name Paris definitively crossed gender lines. It reached peak usage in the US in 2004 at #157.
The story is similar in the UK. It left the most popular boy names early in the 21st century, and peaked for girls in 2004. While it still appears in the England & Wales Top 1000, it’s much less popular.
As of 2025, Paris stands at #592. It’s tumbled quite a bit, but remains in use as a girl’s given name.
If you’re wondering about Europe? French parents chose the name in small numbers around the same time American families discovered it. It peaked around 2010 for girls. But it’s long been used for boys, too, and was most popular among French names for boys circa 2008.
ROMANTIC PLACE NAME
There’s no question that Paris Hilton boosted her romantic place name for a generation. But Paris also benefited from a broader place name trend that has softened in the last few years.
And yet, can the city of Paris be put in the same category as, say, Savannah or Brooklyn? It feels like there will always be some families drawn to the city of Madeline and Emily.
Plus, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is set to debut in the summer of 2026. While Paris isn’t a main character, could it spark fresh interest in all sorts of mythological names for boys?
For now, if this is one of your favorite places, Paris remains a place name worth considering, as a first or even middle name.
What do you think of the baby name Paris?
