2000
#6,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,967
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Paulus
A Latin surname meaning "small" or "humble," originally a nickname for a small person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,392 Americans carry the last name Paulus. That puts it at #6,884 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,567 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paulus 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.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,567
Census rank
#6,884
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,702 bearers of the surname Paulus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6884th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paulus, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paulus
Among Census respondents with the surname Paulus, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Paulus 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 Paulus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 4,252
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 141
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 130
- Two or more races2.6% · 123
- Black or African American0.9% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paulus
Paulus 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
#6,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,171
+204 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Down 234 places
2020
#6,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,702
-469 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 333 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,317 | 4,967 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,551 | 5,171 | 1.75 | +204 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 234 places |
| 2020 | #6,884 | 4,702 | 1.57 | -469 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 333 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 Paulus 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 | #6,551 | #6,884 | -5.1% |
| Count | 5,171 | 4,702 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.75 | 1.57 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paulus bearers went from 5,171 to 4,702 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 333 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,551 to #6,884.
FAQ
Paulus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paulus?
Name Census estimates that about 5,392 living Americans carry the surname Paulus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,567 residents.
How common is Paulus?
Paulus ranks #6,884 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,702 people with the surname Paulus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,392), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Paulus.
Has Paulus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paulus went from 5,171 recorded bearers to 4,702. That is a decrease of 469 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,551 to #6,884.
What does the Census say about the background of Paulus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paulus, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Paulus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (4,252 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paulus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Paulus (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 Paulus mean?
A Latin surname meaning "small" or "humble," originally a nickname for a small person. 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 Paulus (1.57 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 have the surname Paulus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.