Paul Surname

320th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 1,654,899 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
India
Highest density in:
Papua New Guinea

Paul Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Paul'; v. Pawson.

Stephen Paul, Nottinghamshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

1521. John Pawle: Register of the University of Oxford.

1588. John Paule and Agnes Haywarde: Marriage Lic.

Read More About This Surname

Paul Surname Distribution Map

By incidenceBy frequencyBy rank
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
India577,5341:1,328134
Tanzania202,4381:26217
Nigeria190,9221:928112
Papua New Guinea120,9461:673
Haiti114,4831:937
United States100,4591:3,608390
South Sudan54,4281:21039
Germany54,0431:1,490116
Kenya27,1491:1,701265
France20,5051:3,239221
Chad19,1601:70998
Canada17,6951:2,082227
England16,3251:3,413452
Australia9,9011:2,727371
Cameroon9,0471:2,296247
United Arab Emirates8,7771:1,044116
South Africa7,7801:6,964895
Saudi Arabia6,3201:4,882659
Madagascar5,4331:4,353906
Sierra Leone4,6711:1,518276
Romania4,2861:4,685626
Oman4,2361:871124
Trinidad and Tobago3,8361:35633
Bangladesh3,5121:45,3752,606
Malaysia3,2771:9,0001,041
New Zealand3,0771:1,472175
Kuwait3,0181:1,259135
Liberia2,5831:1,707225
Scotland2,5761:2,078379
Poland2,5071:15,1612,212
Austria2,3131:3,682370
Qatar2,2031:1,07071
Guyana2,1751:35030
Brazil1,9021:112,5524,251
Russia1,8781:76,7439,807
Belgium1,8331:6,272792
Guatemala1,8201:8,8371,011
Spain1,5531:30,1043,067
Mexico1,5011:82,6963,423
Saint Lucia1,4701:12215
Thailand1,4531:48,6165,664
Indonesia1,4331:92,2889,647
Netherlands1,4151:11,9341,688
Bahrain1,4111:956114
Argentina1,3521:31,6152,647
Mauritius1,2731:1,016111
Pakistan1,2331:144,8863,998
Vanuatu1,1411:23134
Samoa1,1361:17118
Micronesia1,0711:998
Zimbabwe1,0491:14,7172,052
Malawi8951:19,1273,004
Botswana8601:2,543297
Grenada8231:13217
Philippines8221:123,16121,170
Jamaica7951:3,610518
Dominica7831:9714
Czechia7801:13,6331,963
Dominican Republic7551:13,8181,036
Singapore7491:7,353437
Morocco7161:48,1517,863
Venezuela6801:44,4182,322
Wales6761:4,578497
Ivory Coast6571:35,1162,326
Benin6121:16,8882,280
Ireland6111:7,7071,086
Switzerland6091:13,4862,227
Northern Ireland5981:3,085627
Solomon Islands5891:98538
DR Congo5711:129,38613,969
Iran4571:168,01414,281
Bahamas3481:1,126213
Fiji3141:2,848493
Israel3091:27,6954,016
Algeria2901:133,21218,129
Chile2821:62,4702,642
Hungary2621:37,4674,075
Portugal2551:40,8562,413
Uganda2381:164,03114,110
Kazakhstan2361:74,9268,894
Sweden2161:45,5873,572
Colombia2061:231,9135,249
Namibia1941:12,4202,342
Niger1901:101,0114,144
Hong Kong1691:43,405774
Ukraine1691:269,36534,930
Marshall Islands1631:31836
Antigua and Barbuda1491:666113
Japan1311:975,91119,848
Estonia1191:11,1081,602
United States Virgin Islands1191:928133
Barbados1161:2,478420
Finland1151:47,7975,836
Ghana1011:267,53211,404
Norway931:55,2937,928
Italy911:672,05258,782
Saint Kitts and Nevis901:613129
Denmark891:63,4246,389
Sri Lanka891:233,8049,107
Zambia861:184,30112,428
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines781:1,444309
Afghanistan751:428,7095,819
Panama741:52,8682,534
Belarus631:150,81020,737
Iraq631:555,8998,855
Peru591:538,71414,638
Sudan561:669,8252,613
Cuba551:209,5044,357
El Salvador531:119,6961,730
Ethiopia511:1,912,6728,023
Guernsey511:1,264261
China471:29,091,9481,546
Luxembourg471:12,3522,231
New Caledonia471:5,8771,249
Seychelles471:1,966419
Taiwan471:498,8243,776
Bermuda461:1,419226
Rwanda461:247,0651,447
Suriname451:12,2803,102
French Polynesia431:6,5301,442
Aruba421:2,464355
Greece411:270,23940,426
Lithuania371:82,01612,005
American Samoa361:1,549282
British Virgin Islands341:929149
Latvia331:62,1239,312
Jersey321:3,100566
Cyprus301:29,4963,291
Malta301:14,342837
South Korea301:1,708,009419
Belize291:12,2581,436
Egypt291:3,170,19848,064
Guam291:5,521755
Slovenia281:88,84611,009
Serbia271:264,62814,268
Turks and Caicos Islands261:1,320152
Kyrgyzstan231:259,68123,924
Congo221:226,7778,465
Costa Rica221:217,2762,674
Slovakia221:242,56637,880
Uzbekistan221:1,405,87025,726
Burundi201:490,243641
Vietnam181:5,147,0032,420
Ecuador171:935,63814,108
Maldives161:25,2611,532
Anguilla151:89684
Mozambique141:1,947,2552,929
Togo141:517,6986,356
Burkina Faso131:1,411,70012,072
Iceland131:29,2382,297
Lesotho111:184,77813,836
Bhutan91:68,449728
Central African Republic91:501,710179
Djibouti91:101,659734
Isle of Man91:9,5362,057
Kiribati91:12,601393
Macau91:66,848400
Myanmar91:5,770,887975
Croatia81:528,57638,675
Puerto Rico81:443,7673,219
Angola71:3,855,6026,953
Transnistria71:67,8149,165
Cambodia61:2,581,1918,069
Georgia61:624,25819,750
Nepal61:4,746,82612,065
Brunei51:83,7461,811
Bulgaria51:1,395,78141,665
Mali51:3,393,8072,429
Monaco51:7,4131,114
Montserrat51:989156
Armenia41:732,54511,666
Azerbaijan41:2,412,28025,948
Gabon41:472,2983,618
Honduras41:2,204,1106,397
Somalia41:3,363,0155,093
Tonga41:26,828461
Tunisia41:152,65617,743
Yemen41:6,606,32425,896
Gambia31:641,150991
Guinea31:3,944,6062,522
Laos31:2,196,1081,879
Montenegro31:213,1886,121
Paraguay31:2,412,24913,111
Tajikistan31:2,795,56412,819
Andorra21:41,9191,654
Bosnia and Herzegovina21:1,768,20116,841
Cape Verde21:264,8215,214
Libya21:3,121,9876,135
Mauritania21:2,047,43230,537
Mongolia21:1,412,64416,950
Turkey21:38,910,711171,901
Albania11:2,914,05529,474
Bolivia11:10,616,43417,077
Cayman Islands11:63,8932,384
Comoros11:749,524685
Curaçao11:157,2471,313
Equatorial Guinea11:1,135,674984
Eritrea11:4,751,901911
Faroe Islands11:48,9982,049
Greenland11:56,3791,133
Guinea-Bissau11:1,728,021323
Jordan11:8,842,43726,010
Kosovo11:1,861,86914,990
Lebanon11:5,637,08332,436
North Macedonia11:2,101,47231,546
Moldova11:3,561,36878,271
Nicaragua11:6,021,0908,768
Northern Cyprus11:319,01110,202
Northern Mariana Islands11:54,5801,498
Saint Martin11:35,156229
São Tomé and Príncipe11:177,4233,686
Senegal11:14,579,34211,705
Swaziland11:1,298,1991,718
Syria11:19,301,02222,457
Turkmenistan11:5,489,11211,427
Uruguay11:3,431,75838,295
Show All Nations
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland6011:7,3711,135
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England4,8061:5,072771
Scotland2,2601:1,656305
Wales1591:9,864600
Guernsey451:726121
Jersey161:3,243531
Isle of Man51:10,8541,028
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States13,8871:3,616435

The alternate forms: Paùl (2) & Páül (1) are calculated separately.

Paul (6,916,349) may also be a first name.

Paul Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Paul'; v. Pawson.

Stephen Paul, Nottinghamshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

1521. John Pawle: Register of the University of Oxford.

1588. John Paule and Agnes Haywarde: Marriage Lic. (London).

1702. Baptised — Elizabeth d. Richard Paulson: St. James, Clerkenwell.

— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

This surname is one of considerable antiquity in the parish of Daviot, and occurs in the parish of Fintry in 1654. It is also found in the Lothians and in Fife, where it is considered "by family tradition a Flemish name" (Sc. Ant., IV, p. 114), but is not necessarily so. Robert Paul was member of council of the burgh of Stirling in 1528 (SBR., p. 276), Patrick Paule, witness at Tuliboill, 1546 (Rollok, 6), and Janet Paule is recorded in Edinburgh in 1659 (Edinb. Marr.). Alexander Paull, mercator in Elgine, 1696 (Inquis., 8769). The Gaelic forms are Pol ( classical) and Pal (common speech), whence Poison and Macphail. The name is Latin Paui-us, from paulus, little. Pawll 1688.

— The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(Anglo-Latin; Anglo-French-Latin) Little [Greek Παΰλος, Latin Paulus-paul-us, little] Wiclif (1380) has the spelling Poul (e.g. I. Cor. I. 1.: ‘Poul clepid apostle of ihesus crist’); but Tyndale (1534) aud Cranmer (1539) have Paul.

Paul is a common French surname.

— Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(Scottish, English, French) Descendant of Paul (small); one who came from Paull (pole marking at ferry), in Yorkshire, or from Paul (church of St. Paulinus), in Cornwall.

— Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

Little, small.

— The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames (1862) by Clifford Stanley Sims (1839-1896)

Signifies little, small. Latin, Paulus, Greek, παυλος.

— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

Or St. Paul, branches of the Counts of St. Paul, descended paternally from the Counts of Ponthieu, who acquired St. P. c. 991 (Moreri). These Counts had considerable estates in England, and numerous branches were seated there. The estates of the E. of St. P. in Essex are mentioned 1198 (BCR). Robert de St. Paul of Lincoln 1158, Roger de St. P. Stafford 1157 (Rot. Pip.). Hence the baronets Paul, and St. Paul.

— The Norman People (1874)

From the Old Norse, Pall; from the Danish, Poul, Pauli, Paulin; from the Flemish, Pauwels, Pauly, Poel, Pol, Polet, Poly, Polyn, Spoel; from the Dutch, Pool, Pouwels, Spall, Spoel; from the German, Pohl, Pohler, Pollack, Poli, Pohlit, Pollok, Paul; in the Domesday Book, Paulin, Pauli, Pawel; a personal name.

— British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

The name of Paul, in the form of Paull, was represented in the 17th century in Drempton and Netherway in Broad Windsor (H.).

— Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

Several of the Somersetshire Pauls were implicated in the Monmouth rebellion of 1685, and were transported to Barbadoes; one of them was Robert Paul of Ilton (H.).

— Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

User-submitted Reference

It comes from the Latin paulus or paullus, meaning 'small'. In the Christian tradition it means 'be humble'. Usually in English and in German, it is written as Paul; In Italian, Paolo.

- mpgg1988
DNA test information
Display Statistics on:

Paul Demographics

Average Paul Salary in
United States

$44,452 USD

Per year
Rank:
599,401 of 1,180,305
Percentage of all salaries earned by bearers:
0.0281646
Rank: 373 of 1,181,369
Percentage of national average salary:
103.02%
Sample size: 54,037 (2014)

Average Salary in
United States

$43,149 USD

Per year
Per month:
$3,596 USD
Per week:
$799 USD
Per day:
$118 USD

View the highest/lowest earning families in The United States

Paul Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Paul Come From? nationality or country of origin

Paul (Bengali: পাল, Georgian: პაულ, Hassaniya-Arabic: ﺑﻮﻝ, Hindi: पौल, Marathi: पौळ, Oriya: ପାଉଲ, Russian: Пауль, Tibetan: པཱལ་) has its highest incidence in India. It may also occur in the variant forms: Paùl or Páül. Click here for further possible spellings of this name.

How Common Is The Last Name Paul? popularity and diffusion

The surname Paul is the 320th most frequently held family name on a global scale, held by approximately 1 in 4,404 people. Paul occurs mostly in Asia, where 37 percent of Paul reside; 35 percent reside in South Asia and 34 percent reside in Indo-South Asia. Paul is also the 45th most frequently held first name in the world It is held by 6,916,349 people.

The last name Paul is most frequently used in India, where it is carried by 577,534 people, or 1 in 1,328. In India it is most prevalent in: West Bengal, where 60 percent are found, Assam, where 11 percent are found and Maharashtra, where 9 percent are found. Aside from India this surname is found in 215 countries. It is also found in Tanzania, where 12 percent are found and Nigeria, where 12 percent are found.

Paul Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of Paul has changed over time. In The United States the share of the population with the last name grew 723 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it grew 340 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it grew 114 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it grew 425 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it grew 102 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Paul Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those carrying the surname is principally Presbyterian (53%) in Ireland, Orthodox (76%) in Russia, Christian (99%) in Kenya, Christian (97%) in Nigeria and Orthodox (73%) in Ukraine.

In The United States Paul are 8.22% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 54.99% being registered to vote for the party.

The amount Paul earn in different countries varies greatly. In Italy they earn 67.7% less than the national average, earning €9,699 per year; in Norway they earn 9.93% more than the national average, earning 380,430 kr per year; in Peru they earn 130.87% more than the national average, earning S/. 44,755 per year; in South Africa they earn 31.14% more than the national average, earning R 311,628 per year; in Colombia they earn 4.26% more than the national average, earning $23,670,000 COP per year; in United States they earn 3.02% more than the national average, earning $44,452 USD per year and in Canada they earn 4.78% less than the national average, earning $47,306 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ASimilarity (high to low)Similarity (low to high)Prevalent jurisdiction A-ZPrevalent jurisdiction Z-A
SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Paùl922/
Paule8913,352/
Paull897,942/
Payul89428/
Pahul89330/
Paiul89225/
Pauel89216/
Pauhl8994/
Pajul8957/
Phaul8941/
Pauul8933/
Pauld8926/
Ppaul8918/
Pfaul8912/
Vpaul897/
Paulh895/
Paulp894/
Pauyl893/
Paulì891/
Pal863,141,817/
Pul869,542/
Páül831/
Paulhe80560/
Peault80248/
Pautel8025/
Paulle8024/
Pausel8023/
Pajoul8019/
Pauell8015/
Phajul8015/
Paucel8012/
D'Paul8011/
Bhpaul8010/
Pauyal809/
Pautil807/
Peyaul807/
Paouel804/
Phauel803/
Paujol802/
Pajaul802/
Paullt801/
Paulpp801/
Paultt801/
Pauyll801/
Payoul801/
Paulht801/
Phayul801/
Pausil800/
Pale75110,837/
Phal7537,031/
Pule7536,015/
Pahl7519,878/
Poul7519,726/
Puol7515,596/
Pall7513,032/
Paal757,417/
Puhl757,338/
Peal756,154/
Phul755,966/
Pael754,158/
Puel753,449/
Pail752,614/
Palh751,591/
Pull751,286/
Paál75932/
Puil75546/
Palt75518/
Pult75474/
Payl75380/
Patl75263/
Peul75253/
Pusl75227/
Ppal75144/
Pald75127/
Puul7580/
Pfal7550/
Pulh7543/
Pajl7540/
Palù7529/
Puld7527/
Pulp7512/
Palp7511/
Pasl756/
Bpal753/
Pful753/
Hpal753/
Bpul752/
Pgul751/
Vpal751/
Pujl751/
Päal751/
Palì751/
Pa'l751/
Putl751/
Paulová73965/
Paulova73105/
Poyault7376/
Ppahyul7312/
Pajault737/
Phuyaul732/
Paucell731/
Pauyale731/
Pheault731/
Pauszel731/
Pahajul731/
Phayaul731/
Patel674,847,640/
Patil673,705,743/
Putel6752,434/
Palle6743,221/
Pujol6740,954/
Payal6711,481/
Phule6711,383/
Payel677,185/
Phale675,368/
Piyal674,479/
Puyol674,269/
Phull673,365/
Pulle673,020/
Paile672,811/
Pfahl672,402/
Pahal671,974/
Pehal671,919/
Pfuhl671,777/
Peyal671,473/
Pawel671,241/
Puyal671,165/
Pasle671,082/
Puell67808/
Phuel67796/
Pucel67769/
Pajal67640/
Peale67636/
Puile67615/
Pujal67598/
Peall67506/
Poyal67505/
Pajel67488/
Pieal67452/
Paitl67440/
Pacil67425/
Pasil67349/
Pasel67334/
Payle67331/
Phael67316/
Pijal67295/
Palph67254/
Poule67218/
Poull67203/
Pusil67198/
Phalh67181/
Pagli67165/
Phalp67159/
Phulp67159/
Payol67155/
Paale67149/
Phail67145/
Phaal67135/
Peule67106/
Pajtl67104/
Pacel67104/
Puill6790/
Pusel6788/
Palhe6785/
Pajil6772/
Pucil6768/
Pugli6762/
Peahl6758/
Payil6757/
Paill6746/
Pheal6745/
Peutl6745/
Phall6741/
Paiol6739/
Peual6736/
Paail6733/
Putil6733/
Paiel6730/
Paehl6725/
Pajol6724/
Puehl6723/
Peial6721/
Pujel6720/
Pfail6718/
Pußel6717/
Pouhl6715/
Paytl6715/
Paiyl6713/
Pattl6712/
Põial6712/
Patél6712/
Paial6711/
Puial6711/
Paisl6710/
Pallë6710/
Poulø679/
Patll678/
Patlt678/
Phoul678/
Pusle678/
Pfhul678/
Poial678/
Puitl678/
Pauschel678/
Peuhl677/
Pohul677/
Payulova677/
Poulh676/
Pfhal676/
Phuul675/
Peeal675/
Pullì675/
Paall674/
Pfall674/
Pujil674/
Puule674/
Pouel674/
Pfull674/
Pa'al674/
Pould673/
Pfayl673/
Puyle673/
Paltt673/
Phuhl672/
Pfalt672/
Pailt672/
Pulhe672/
Ppale672/
Ppule672/
Phahl672/
Phuil672/
Puiol672/
Puljz672/
Puthl672/
Poulp672/
Peald672/
Puhll672/
Puyel672/
Pathl671/
Peatl671/
Pejal671/
Puole671/
Puttl671/
Puull671/
Puiel671/
Puild671/
Ppaal671/
Ppail671/
Peyul671/
Pfoul671/
Pfuel671/
Pfulh671/
Phusl671/
Paiil671/
Paahl671/
Paell671/
Pallp671/
Hpale671/
Pojal671/
Patêl671/
Patíl671/
Paáll671/
Pallt671/
Pallő671/
Pajeault671/
Pfuld671/
Peulh671/
Peull671/
Peuol671/
Phald671/
Pealh671/
Vppal671/
Pyoal671/
Puilh671/
Puëll671/
Bphul671/
Phalt671/
Pheul671/
Phaël671/
Pgalh671/
Pfaal671/
Paylt671/
Hpule671/
Pealt670/
Pfael670/
Pfeul670/
Puoll670/
Peult670/
Show All Similar Surnames

Paul Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Paul in the Georgian language
პაულpaul-
Paul in the Bengali language
পালpala99.75
পলpala0.16
পৌলpaula0.02
বালbala0.01
Show All Transliterations
Paul in the Marathi language
पौळpaula86.5
पौलpaula5.53
पऊळpa'ula3.49
पालpala0.91
पूलpula0.54
पौऴpaula0.22
पुलpula0.04
पौळेpaule0.01
पलpala0
Show All Transliterations
Paul in the Hindi language
पौलpaula79.59
पॉलpola7.63
पालpala6.11
पाॅलpaela1.01
पांलpanla0.3
पाँलpamla0.3
पौल्paul0.1
पौल़paula0.05
Show All Transliterations
Paul in the Oriya language
ପାଉଲpa'ula53.39
ପାଲpala28.1
ପାଳpala7.3
ପାଉଳpa'ula2.54
ପଲpala1.63
ପାଉଲ୍pa'ul1.11
ପାଉpa'u0.13
େପାଳ୍epal0.13
ପାରୁparu0.07
Show All Transliterations
Paul in the Hassaniya-Arabic language
ﺑﻮﻝbwl50
ﺍﺑﻮﻝabwl50
Paul in the Tibetan language
པཱལ་pal33.33
པལ་pal33.33
པའུལ་pa'ul33.33
Paul in the Russian language
Паульpaul-

Search for Another Surname

Paul Reference & Research

Paul DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.

Paul FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Paul
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis