National Paula Day 2023: Date, History and Paula Abdul’s five hit songs

National Paula Day 2023: The annual National Paula Day is celebrated on December 29. Paula’s name has Latin origins and means “small” and “humble.” It all began in the fourth century AD, during the classical era when a wealthy Roman widow dedicated her life to serving the underprivileged and finally became a saint. We honor all Paulas on this day, be they close friends, relatives, or well-known figures.

National Paula Day History

In the United States, the name Paula is quite popular. It was first introduced in 1880. It enjoyed some moderate popularity at the turn of the 20th century, in 1900. After being registered 3,042 times as a baby girl’s name, it reached number 93 on the US Top 100 list by 1943. However, according to data from the U.S. Social Security Administration, just 10 babies born in Arizona in 1940 had the name Paula, although 1,381 babies throughout that year also had the same name. In 1953, the name was popular in Rhode Island, where it was used for 107 infants, ranking 19th on the list.

From 1934 to 1976, Paula was continuously the most popular girl’s name in Massachusetts. With 10,144 kids given the name at birth, 1963 had the highest recorded use of the name. It continued to be listed among the Top 100 for over thirty years. In 1974, it was eventually removed from the list.

It was noted 279,246 times in the S.S.A. public database between 1880 and 2018. The preference for it has steadily decreased since the 1980s. Its rating dropped to 821 as of 2016. In the United States, the more popular variation is called “Paola” in Spanish and Italian.

The name is well-liked in Spain, where it is ranked fourth. It is ranked eighth in Catalonia. In Croatia, it is ranked number 31, in Austria, number 40, and in Chile, number 64.

Events on National Paula Day

Give me a name, Paula.

Name something Paula in observance of this day. You may name anything Paula, including your car, plant, or pet.

Examine all of Paula Hawkins’ works.

Paula Hawkins is a British author with multiple best-selling books. She penned three novels: “Into the Water,” “A Slow Fire Burning,” and “The Girl on the Train,” which was made into an Emily Blunt film. You can read any of these excellent books today.

Create a playlist including Paula Abdul and Paula Cole.

Make them your day’s theme music! These two singers have enough tunes between them to fit any mood, from getting down to feeling emotional.

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Paula Abdul’s five hit songs

straight up

She had her first Top 40 hit with this mid-tempo dance-pop song off her debut album.

Always Your Girl

In May 1989, this song about commitment in a relationship topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 list for two weeks.

Contrasting Things Attract

An animated cat dubbed MC Skat Kat can be seen dancing and rapping in the song’s music video.

Rush Rush

In the video for the song, Abdul and American actor Keanu Reeves reenact sequences from James Dean’s film “Rebel Without a Cause.”

Blowing Wind-Cherry Kisses

This 1991 Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 chart song, about yearning for someone else and hoping they feel the same, lasted seven weeks.

The reasons we adore Paula Day

She is the widows’ patron saint.

Paula was a wealthy Roman widow of thirty-two years who had five children. She constructed three convents, a monastery, and a hospital in Bethlehem with all of her riches.

She is a champion marathoner.

Three times, Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE, has represented Great Britain in the London and New York Marathons. 2002 saw her win the Chicago Marathon as well.

She was an artist who identified as a feminist.

Paula Rego was a Portuguese-British visual artist whose career lasted over fifty years. She is recognized for having revolutionized the way women are portrayed; inspiration for her works came from topics like sex trafficking and honor killings.

NATIONAL PAULA DAY DATES