PAULIN
Paulin is a surname that can be traced back to the United Kingdom, particularly to Scotland where it is recorded as a Gaelic Christian name of Celtic origin.
The name Paulin is a patronymic derivative of the Latin given name Paulus, which means “small” or “humble”. The adoption of the name by early Christians, coupled with its association with the apostle Paul, gave the surname a strong ecclesiastical pedigree. Consequently, the surname is interpreted as “descendant of Paul” or “son of Paul”, indicating a familial connection to an ancestor who bore the given name.
Historical documents record the surname in several forms across Christian Europe. The earliest known English appearance is in the Subsidy Rolls of London dated 1292, where a petitioner is recorded as John Paul. In Germany, the earliest extant record is of Ludolf Pauli, described as a citizen of Stettin in the year 1325. These entries demonstrate the spread of the name beyond its Celtic origins into continental Europe during the Middle Ages.
In modern times, the surname Paulin is most commonly found in France, where it ranks within the top five hundred surnames. It also occurs in other French‑speaking regions such as Belgium, Canada and Switzerland, and to a lesser extent in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Australia and New England in the United States. The name remains a marker of Christian heritage and a link to a tradition that values modesty and humility, traits embodied in the original Latin meaning of the name.
Typical given names associated with the Paulin surname
Male
- Alexander
- Andrew
- Dale
- David
- Gary
- Greg
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Nicholas
- Richard
- William
Female
- Anne
- Carol
- Evonne
- Fiona
- Jane
- Jenny
- Jho-an
- Kathleen
- Margaret
- Nadia
- Nicola
- Sarah
- Sheila
- Winifred
Similar and related surnames
- Pawley
- Pauling
- Pauline
- Pauley
- Pawling
- Parlin
- Palin
- Paulen
- Pallin
- Palino
- Pauldine
- Parline
- Parling
- Pauldin
- Pauli
- Paulina
- Paulini
- Paulino
- Paulie
- Paulins
- Paulinus
- Paulis
- Paullin
- Paulling
- Paulyn
- Pautlin
- Perlin
- Purling
- Purlings
- Pailin
- Paillin
- Paline
- Palline
- Paruline
- Paulik
- Paulinska
- Paulinski
- Pauliuc
- Paulon
- Pauly
- Pawlin
- Pawlyn
- Paylin
- Pealin
- Plane
- Pollen
- Pullen
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Paulin in...
Braille
⠏⠁⠥⠇⠊⠝
Morse
.--..-..-.-....-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 316 people named Paulin in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around five in a million people in Britain are named Paulin.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Paulin
- Viveca Paulin - Swedish actress
- Tom Paulin - Northern Irish poet
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.