Paulen last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Paulen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Paulen.

Meaning of Paulen

Surname derived from a diminutive form of the given name Paul.

Paulen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Paulen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Paulen in America

Paulen is the 120901st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Paulen surname appeared 143 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Paulen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Paulen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 120901 95567 23.41%
Count 143 177 -21.25%
Proportion per 100k 0.05 0.07 -33.33%

The history of the last name Paulen

The surname Paulen is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy, France, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French personal name "Paulin," which itself stems from the Latin name "Paulinus," meaning "little Paul."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Paulen can be found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Paulinus," indicating its Norman roots.

In the 12th century, a notable individual named Radulfus Paulen was mentioned in the Cartulary of Cirencester Abbey, a medieval manuscript containing records of the abbey's possessions and transactions. This suggests that the Paulen surname had already established itself in England by that time.

During the 13th century, the Paulen family held lands in the village of Paulerspury, Northamptonshire, England. The village's name is believed to have originated from the Paulen family's residence there, further solidifying their presence in the region.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the Paulen surname include:

  1. Sir John Paulen (c. 1300 – 1372), an English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was awarded lands in Normandy for his service.

  2. William Paulen (c. 1450 – 1520), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London during the Tudor period.

  3. Margaret Paulen (c. 1550 – 1620), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist who founded a school and almshouses in the village of Paulerspury.

  4. Thomas Paulen (1617 – 1701), an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects.

  5. Étienne Paulen (1775 – 1855), a French military officer who served under Napoleon Bonaparte and was awarded the Légion d'honneur for his bravery in battle.

While the Paulen surname has its roots in Normandy, it has since spread to various parts of Europe and beyond, with descendants bearing the name in countries such as England, France, Germany, and even the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Paulen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Paulen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Paulen was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 88.81% 127
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 5.59% 8

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Paulen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 88.81% 94.35% -6.05%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Hispanic 5.59% 2.82% 65.87%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Paulen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Paulen, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Paulen last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on September 25, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/paulen-surname-popularity/.

"Paulen last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/paulen-surname-popularity/. Accessed 25 September, 2025

Paulen last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/paulen-surname-popularity/.

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