Paul

Paul meaning

Paul is a Christian and international boy's name of Latin origin.

Little; a Latin name

Also used to mean: small, humble

Paul comes from Paulus, a Roman name of Latin origin, which reached the wider world through the Greek Paulos of the New Testament. Strong's concordance glosses it simply as "little", and many name lists also give "small" or "humble". Its most famous bearer is the apostle Paul, born Saul to a Jewish family in Tarsus and a Roman citizen from birth. After his conversion on the road to Damascus he became a tireless preacher and founder of churches, and his letters make up much of the New Testament; Acts 13:9 is where he is first called Paul. Acts also names a Roman proconsul, Sergius Paulus. Related forms include Pablo, Paolo and Pavel.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, G3972 · entry Paulos · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Strong's G3972, Paulos, with Thayer's Greek Lexicon

Famous namesakes

• Paul the Apostle, author of many New Testament letters

Popularity abroad

• #262 United States, boys 2025 (same as 2024)
  US Social Security Administration
• #602 England and Wales, boys 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Related names

More names of Latin origin

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