2000
#11,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,415
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Paull
A variant of Paul, derived from the Latin name Paulus, meaning "small" or "humble."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,715 Americans carry the last name Paull. That puts it at #12,500 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paull surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Paull with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,245
Census rank
#12,500
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,368 bearers of the surname Paull in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12500th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paull, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paull
The surname Paull originates from France, having derived from the Latin personal name Paulus. The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 12th century in Normandy, where it was spelled as Paul.
The name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who was small or humble, as the Latin word "paulus" means "little" or "small." It was a common practice in medieval times to assign surnames based on personal characteristics or physical attributes.
During the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, many Norman families, including those with the surname Paul or Paull, settled in various parts of the country. The name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Paull can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1199, where it is listed as "Paulinus de Langeford." This suggests that the family may have originated from or been associated with the village of Longford in Yorkshire.
Over the centuries, the surname Paull has been recorded with various spellings, such as Paul, Paule, Paulle, and Pawle, reflecting regional dialects and variations in pronunciation and spelling practices.
Notable individuals with the surname Paull throughout history include:
1. John Paull (1691-1769), an English clergyman and astronomer who published works on celestial mechanics.
2. James Paull (1770-1808), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was killed in action during the Battle of Basque Roads.
3. Robert Paull (1791-1863), a British architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
4. William Paull (1855-1923), an American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1910 to 1912.
5. James Paull (1876-1957), a Scottish artist and painter known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life in Scotland.
The surname Paull has been associated with various places throughout history, such as the village of Paulton in Somerset, England, which may have derived its name from the surname Paull or the personal name Paul.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paull
Among Census respondents with the surname Paull, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Paull bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Paull surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,184
- Two or more races2.9% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 28
- Black or African American0.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paull
Paull appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,264
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,300
-115 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 1,395 places
2020
#12,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,368
+68 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 764 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,869 | 2,415 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,264 | 2,300 | 0.78 | -115 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 1,395 places |
| 2020 | #12,500 | 2,368 | 0.79 | +68 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 764 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Paull surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,264 | #12,500 | 5.8% |
| Count | 2,300 | 2,368 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.79 | 1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paull bearers went from 2,300 to 2,368 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 764 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,264 to #12,500.
FAQ
Paull surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paull?
Name Census estimates that about 2,715 living Americans carry the surname Paull. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,245 residents.
How common is Paull?
Paull ranks #12,500 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,368 people with the surname Paull. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,715), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Paull.
Has Paull become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paull went from 2,300 recorded bearers to 2,368. That is an increase of 68 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,264 to #12,500.
What does the Census say about the background of Paull?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paull, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Paull in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,184 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paull appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Paull (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Paull mean?
A variant of Paul, derived from the Latin name Paulus, meaning "small" or "humble." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Paull (0.79 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Paull?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.