Paul

Paul is a common Latin masculine given name in countries and ethnicities with a Christian heritage (Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism) and, beyond Europe, in Christian religious communities throughout the world. Paul - or its variations - can be a given name or surname.

Origin and diffusion

The name has existed since Roman times. It derives from the Roman family name Paulus or Paullus, from the Latin adjective meaning “small”, “humble”, “least” or “little” . During the Classical Age it was used to distinguish the minor of two people of the same family bearing the same name. The Roman patrician family of the Gens Aemilia included such prominent persons as Lucius Aemilius Paullus, Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus, Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus, Tertia Aemilia Paulla (the wife of Scipio Africanus), and Sergius Paulus.

Its prevalence in nations with a Christian heritage is primarily due to its attachment to Saint Paul the Apostle, whose Greek name waswas Παῦλος, Paûlos, a transliteration from the Latin, also carrying the “modest” meaning of this name, and chosen because of its similarity to his Jewish name Šaul. The name Paul is common, with variations, in all European languages.

Paul’s popularity has varied. In the United States, the 1990 census shows it ranked the 13th most common (male) name; however, Social Security Administration data shows popularity in the top 20 until 1968, with steadily declining use until its 2015 rank of 200th.

The feminine versions are Paula, Pauline, Paulina, and Paulette.