Paul
PAWL
A classic biblical name meaning “small” or “little.”
Meaning
The name Paul comes through the biblical name rendered in Greek and Latin tradition, and the excerpted sources connect it with the meaning “small” or “little.” In Christian naming history, it spread widely through the influence of the apostle Paul and then passed into many European languages. The excerpts also show related forms like Paula, Paule, and Paulette as later feminine or diminutive variants.
Origin
LatinGreekHebrewmasculine
Fun fact
The name became so influential in Christian Europe that many languages adapted it into local forms, from Paul to Paulette.
Confidence: mixed. Sources: History of Christian Names, Praenomina; or, the etymology of the principal Christian names of Great Britain and Ireland.