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

Paulus, 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 Paulus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Paulus in America

Paulus is the 6551st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Paulus surname appeared 5,171 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Paulus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Paulus 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.

The history of the last name Paulus

The surname PAULUS originated from the Latin word "paulus", meaning "small" or "humble". It is believed to have originated in ancient Rome during the time of the Roman Empire.

The name PAULUS was initially used as a cognomen, a type of Roman family name, which was typically derived from a personal characteristic or a nickname. In this case, it likely referred to someone who was small in stature or had a humble demeanor.

The earliest recorded instance of the name PAULUS dates back to the 1st century AD, when it was mentioned in various Roman historical records and inscriptions. One notable example is Lucius Aemilius Paulus, a Roman consul who lived in the 3rd century BC.

During the Middle Ages, the name PAULUS underwent various spelling variations, such as Paule, Paulis, and Paulys, as it spread throughout Europe. It was particularly common in regions with strong Roman influence, such as Italy, France, and Germany.

In the 12th century, the name PAULUS appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England, indicating its presence in the British Isles during the Norman Conquest.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the surname PAULUS, including:

1. Lucius Aemilius Paulus (c. 228 BC - 160 BC), a Roman consul and military commander known for his victory over the Macedonian King Perseus at the Battle of Pydna.

2. Johannes Paulus (1455 - 1530), a German Renaissance humanist and philosopher who taught at the University of Heidelberg.

3. Heinrich Paulus (1761 - 1851), a German Protestant theologian and biblical scholar known for his work on the life of Jesus.

4. Pieter Paulus (1754 - 1796), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his landscape paintings and etchings.

5. Pieter Arnoldus Paulus (1866 - 1957), a Dutch physicist and Nobel Prize laureate in Physics in 1925 for his work on the Pauli exclusion principle.

The surname PAULUS has also been associated with various place names, particularly in regions where it was historically prevalent. For example, the town of Paulshausen in Germany is believed to have derived its name from the presence of people bearing the surname PAULUS in the area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Paulus

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

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 Paulus was:

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 Paulus has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Paulus was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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