Paul
A widespread surname from the Latin name Paulus, meaning “small” or “humble,” and also sometimes linked to places called Paul.
The #415 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 3,945 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname usually comes from the personal name Paul, ultimately from Latin Paulus, meaning “small” or “little.” The Christian name spread widely through the New Testament apostle Paul, which made it one of the best-known baptismal names in medieval Europe. In some cases, the surname may also be locational, especially where families took it from a place-name such as Paul in Cornwall or a Yorkshire parish recorded in older forms.
History
As a surname, Paul appears in many English records as a straightforward name taken from the popular Christian given name. Medieval spellings varied, and early writers record forms such as Poul and Pawl. There are also separate local or family-based uses in some regions, especially in Scotland and Cornwall, where the surname could be reinforced by place association or Gaelic patronymic forms like Mac Phail.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older English, the name could be spelled Poul, and 16th-century writers such as Tyndale and Cranmer used Pawl forms in print.
From the historical record
“PAUL (A.-Lat. ; A.-Fr.-Lat; ) Little [Gr. IlaOXof, Lat. Paulus —paul-us, little] Wiclif (1380) has the spelling Poul{e.g. 1. Cor. 1. 1.:' Paul depid apostle ofihesus Crist ') ; but Tyndale (1534) aud Cranmer (1539) have PawZ.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)