Paul (name)

Paul

Pronunciation /ˈpɔːl/
French: [pol]
German: [ˈpaʊl]
Dutch: [ˈpʌu̯l]
Gender Male
Name day June 29
Origin
Meaning "Small"; "humble"; "scarce"; "rare"
Popularity see popular names

Paul i/ˈpɔːl/ is a common masculine given name in countries and ethnicities with a Christian heritage (Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism) and, beyond Europe, in Christian religious communities throughout the world. The name has existed since Roman times and derives from the Roman family name Paulus or Paullus – in particular in the Roman patrician family of the Gens Aemilia – including prominent persons such as Lucius Aemilius Paullus, Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus, Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus, Tertia Aemilia Paulla (the wife of Scipio Africanus), as well as Sergius Paulus.

Origin and diffusion

The Roman family name Paulus derives from the Latin adjective meaning "small" or "humble"[1][2] and is cognate to the modern English word few.[3] During the Classical Age it was used to distinguish the minor of two people of the same family bearing the same name. Its prevalence in nations with a Christian heritage is primarily due to its attachment to Saint Paul the Apostle, whose Greek name was Παῦλος, Paûlos, a transliteration from the Latin, also carrying the "modest" meaning of this name.

In Arabic, "Paul" is phonetically translated to بولس (Bulus, in the Bible) or بول (Boulos, from the English name Paul). It is occasionally used as a slang term, used to indicate the equivalent of the English slang term "boss".

The name Paul is common in all European languages (e.g. English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch, Scandinavian, Greek, Russian, Georgian). The feminine versions are Paula, Pauline, Paulina, and Paulette. The following list of people named Paul are widely recognized as notable:

As a given name

As a surname

De Paul

See also

Translations

References

  1. ↑ MFnames.com - Origin and Meaning of Paul
  2. ↑ MFnames.com - Origin and Meaning of Paulus
  3. ↑ Bosworth-Toller Old English dictionary
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