Boy · Latin
Paulus
Say it: PAW-lus
Meaning
Latin paulus 'small'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
A Roman cognomen that became universal in Christian Europe through the apostle Paul.
Its wave through time
Rare in the records
In the United States
- 21 babies given this name since 1929
- At its height in 1929, about 1 in 215,100 boys
- Fewer than 5 babies a year in 2020
Through the ages
- The Biblical WorldAbout 1200 BC to AD 100
- Ancient Rome750 BC to AD 476
- The Early Middle Ages400 to 800
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Renaissance1400 to 1600
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
LatinEarly ChristianItalianSpanishFrenchEnglishPolishRussian
The family of the name
| English | Paul |
|---|---|
| Italian | Paolo |
| Spanish | Pablo |
| French | Paul |
| Portuguese | Paulo |
| Polish | Paweł |
| Russian | Pavel |
Famous bearers
- Paul the Apostle
- Lucius Aemilius Paullus, Roman general
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Roman literature and history (Livy, Cicero, Tacitus and others)
- The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament
- Calendars of saints and name days
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.