Poulson
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Paul,” often reflecting a regional form Poul instead of Paul.
The #9,466 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 89,830 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally explained as “the son of Poul,” with Poul being a regional or older form of the personal name Paul. The underlying name Paul comes from Latin Paulus, meaning “small” or “humble.” In older English records, spellings with ou often reflect local pronunciation rather than a different name.
History
Early surname writers recorded Poulson in medieval and post-medieval English sources, and later references treat it as a straightforward patronymic. Variant spellings such as Powlson appear in historical records, showing that the vowel sound could shift in writing as well as speech. The name is comparatively uncommon today, but it follows a familiar English pattern of surnames formed from a father’s given name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century surname books note that Poulson could be written with ow or ou, depending on local pronunciation and the scribe’s ear.
From the historical record
“POULSOM fbr Poulson, q.v. POULSON, Foul's Son: v. Poul, Paul. POULTER (A.-Fr.-Lat.) Poulterer [M.E. pol{e)ter, pul(e)ter; f. M.E. pul{e)te, Fr. poulet, a chicken, dim. oipoule, a hen; Lat. pulla, fern, otpullus, a young animal] Adam le Poleter. — Pari., Writs. Osbert le Puleter. — Hund. Rolls. POULTON (Eng.) Bel.…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)