Explore the Family Name Paul
The meaning of Paul
1. English, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, West Indian (mainly Haiti, also e.g. Saint Lucia), and African (mainly Nigeria and Tanzania): from the personal name Paul (from Latin Paulus ‘small’), which has always been popular in Christendom. It was the name adopted by the Pharisee Saul of Tarsus after his conversion to Christianity on the road to Damascus in about 34 AD. He was a most energetic missionary to the Gentiles in the Roman Empire, and played a very significant role in establishing Christianity as a major world religion. The name was borne also by numerous other early Christian saints. It is also occasionally borne by Jews; the reasons for this are not clear. In North America, the English form of the surname has absorbed many cognates from other languages and their patronymics and other derivatives, e.g. Greek Pavlis, Slovenian Pavel and Pavlič (see Pavlic), Polish Paweł (see Pawel) and Pawlicki, Assyrian/Chaldean Polous and Polus. In France, this surname is most common in Brittany (see 2 below). 2. Breton (mainly Finistère): from a Frenchified form of the personal name Paol, Breton form of Paul. 3. Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Phóil ‘son of Paul’. Compare McFall. 4. Catalan (Paül): habitational name from any of several places called Paül. 5. Spanish (Paúl): topographic name from paúl ‘marsh, lagoon’. 6. Basque: Castilianized form (Paúl) of a habitational name from Padul, a place in Araba/Álava province, Basque Country (Spain). History: In North America, the surname Paul of French origin (see 1 above) was originally also a secondary surname or dit (‘also called’) name, borne by Louis Hus dit Paul (a son of Paul Hus from Montigny in Seine-Maritime, France; see Hus), who married Marie-Angélique Niquet in QC in 1699. His descendants also bear the surname Paulhus.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Paul in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Paul has seen slight fluctuations in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In the year 2000, it ranked as the 401st most common surname, but by 2010 it fell slightly to the 415th spot, marking a decrease of 3.49%. Even so, the actual count of individuals with the Paul surname increased by 8.32%, growing from 72,248 in 2000 to 78,256 in 2010. However, its proportion per 100,000 people dipped slightly by 0.93%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #401 | #415 | -3.49% |
| Count | 72,248 | 78,256 | 8.32% |
| Proportion per 100k | 26.78 | 26.53 | -0.93% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Paul
In terms of ethnicity, the census data reveals several shifts between 2000 and 2010 for those carrying the Paul surname. The biggest change was seen in the Asian/Pacific Islander group, which saw an increase of 72.18%. The Hispanic and Black groups also saw increases of 42.78% and 24.57% respectively. On the other hand, the proportion of individuals identifying as White dropped by 9.23%, and those identifying as two or more races decreased by 26.15%. The American Indian and Alaskan Native group experienced a modest growth of 5.67%. This information offers interesting insight into the ethnic identity evolution associated with the surname Paul based on the Decennial U.S. Census data.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 73.8% | 66.99% | -9.23% |
| Black | 16.16% | 20.13% | 24.57% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 3.63% | 6.25% | 72.18% |
| Hispanic | 1.87% | 2.67% | 42.78% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.94% | 2.05% | 5.67% |
| Two or More Races | 2.6% | 1.92% | -26.15% |
Paul ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Paul is British & Irish, which comprises 39.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (24.3%) and Eastern European (6.8%). Additional ancestries include Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 39.9% |
| French & German | 24.3% |
| Eastern European | 6.8% |
| Other | 29.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Paul
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Paul have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 70.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 70.00% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 69.80% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 69.70% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 69.40% |
What Paul haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Paul is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include J-L70 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Fisher, Smith, Cooper, Miller, Brown, Johnson, White, Schneider, Young, Schmidt.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Paul surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Paul have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Paul" Surname 41.7%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Paul" Surname 28.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Paul" Surname 21.7%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Paul" Surname 20.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Paul?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Paul are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition