PAULUS
Paulus is a surname of Latin origin, derived from the personal name Paul, which itself comes from the Latin word paulus, meaning “small” or “humble”. The name first appeared as a patronymic, indicating descent from an ancestor named Paul, and it is closely linked to the biblical apostle Paul, whose missionary work helped popularise the name across the Christian world.
Throughout history the surname has been recorded in over two hundred different spellings, reflecting the linguistic diversity of Europe and the spreading of Christian culture. Variants include Paul, Paule and Pawle in England; Paolo and Paulo in Spain and Portugal; Pauli and Polo in Italy; Palle in Germany; Pabel in the Czech lands; and Pal in Hungary, among many others. More elaborate patronymic and diminutive forms such as Paulson, Pauly, Paolozzi and Pavek also occur.
Computerised searches of medieval charters reveal the earliest known appearance of the name in England in 1292, listed as John Paul in the Subsidy Rolls of London during the reign of King Edward I. In Germany the first authenticated record dates from 1325, when a citizen of Stettin named Ludolf Pauli is documented. These entries confirm that the name had already spread beyond its Roman roots and was in common use in both the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of England by the early fourteenth century.
The penetration of the name into surnames was further aided by the religious fervour of the Middle Ages. Knights and crusaders, particularly those belonging to the Knights Templar, adopted biblical names for their children in honour of saintly figures, a practice that reinforced the popularity of the Paul family of surnames during a period of heightened evangelical activity.
In more recent times the surname has maintained a significant presence in certain European countries. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland it remains widespread, and it is also common among German immigrants in the United States, Canada and Australia. Census data from 2020 in the United States show Paulus ranked as the 1,370th most common surname, with notable concentrations in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio, Virginia, New York, Illinois and Michigan. In Canada the name is listed as the 1,047th most frequent surname according to the 2016 Census, primarily in Ontario and Manitoba. Australia ranks Paulus as the 973rd most common name in the 2016 Census, a figure reflecting a small but well‑distributed population of German descent. British subjects with the surname are typically descended from immigrants or their descendants, often linking back to European roots.
Across its various spelling forms and geographical distributions, the surname Paulus consistently indicates a lineage connected to the Latin word for small or humble and retains its ancestral link to the early Christian apostle. Its endurance through centuries of linguistic change attests to the lasting influence of both Roman nomenclature and Christian cultural transmission on European family names.
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Paulus in...
Braille
⠏⠁⠥⠇⠥⠎
Morse
.--..-..-.-....-...
Semaphore
There are approximately 128 people named Paulus in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around two in a million people in Britain are named Paulus.
Region of origin: Europe
Country of origin: France
Language of origin: French
