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 [ 1 syll. pau(l), pa-ul ] The boy name Paul is pronounced as PAOL KEY. Paul is used predominantly in the English, French, and German languages, and it is derived from Latin origins. Biblical name derived from the element 'paulus' which means little, humble. Paulus (Latin) is an old form of Paul. Paulus was originally a Roman nickname, but it soon evolved into a given name after the Classical era. The name was borne in the Bible by Paul, known as the 'Apostle to the Gentiles'; before he converted to Christianity, his name was Saul. Together with Peter, he is considered the most notable of early Christian missionaries, and numerous books in the New Testament were written by him. The name has thus been traditionally popular with Christians; it was already in use by English speakers prior to the Norman Conquest. The name has been borne by six popes. The name Paula (English, French, German, and Spanish) is the female version of Paul. The name Paul is used to a great extent; it has 40 variants that are used in both English and other languages. Variants of Paul used in English include Paulis, Pol (used in Dutch and Irish too), and Pollard. The pet form Paulie is another English variant. Foreign variants of Paul include Havel (Czech), Oalo (Spanish), Paavo (Finnish), Pablo (Spanish), Pal (Scandinavian and Hungarian), Pali (Hungarian), Palika (Hungarian), Pall (Scandinavian), Paolo (Italian), Pashka (Russian), Pau (Catalan), Paule (French), Pauli (Finnish), Paulin (Polish), Paulino (Spanish and Portuguese), Paulo (Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish), Paulos (Greek and Polish), Pauls (Latvian), Pavel (Czech, Russian, and Slavic), Pavils (Latvian), Pavle (Slavic), Pavlik (Russian), Pavlo (Russian and Ukrainian), Pawel (Polish and Russian), Pawl (Russian), Pál (Hungarian), Pål (Scandinavian), Påvel (Scandinavian), Pewlin (Welsh), and Poul (Scandinavian). Specific foreign variants include the pet forms Pasha (Russian), Pava (Russian), Pavlicek (Czech), Pavlík (Czech), Pavlousek (Czech), and Pusha (Russian). See also the related forms, Jean-Paul (French) and Paulinus (German). Paul is a classic favorite. Today it is still popular as a baby name for boys, though not to the extent it was before. At the peak of its usage in 1964, 1.326% of baby boys were given the name Paul. Its ranking then was #16. The baby name has since suffered a substantial fall in popularity, and is currently of occasional use. In 2008, its usage was only 0.117% and its ranking #155, but it was nonetheless the most popular out of all boy names in its group. In 2008, Paul was thrice as popular as the subsequent ranked name, Pablo (Spanish). The name Paul has predominantly been a boy name, though it has also been given to girls in the past century. In 1969, boys named Paul outnumbered girls by 164 times. Baby names that sound like Paul include Paule (French), Pawl (Russian), Pol (Dutch, English, and Irish), Pal (Scandinavian and Hungarian), Pall (Scandinavian), Pavle (Slavic), Pál (Hungarian), Pål (Scandinavian), Pelle (Scandinavian), Poul (Scandinavian), Pablo (Spanish), Pali (Hungarian), Paolo (Italian), Pauli (Finnish), Paulie (English), Paulo (Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish), Pavel (Czech, Russian, and Slavic), Pavlo (Russian and Ukrainian), Pawel (Polish and Russian), and Påvel (Scandinavian). Details of famous persons named Paul: KEY: Pronunciation for Paul: P as in "pee (P.IY)" ; AO as in "ought (AO.T)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)"   |
