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

Pauly, 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 Pauly surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pauly in America

Pauly is the 9969th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pauly surname appeared 3,235 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Pauly.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pauly 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 Pauly

The surname Pauly has its origins in the ancient Roman Empire, tracing back to the Latin word "Paulus," which means "small" or "humble." This surname is particularly prevalent in regions of Germany, France, and other parts of Western Europe.

During the Middle Ages, the name Pauly emerged as a diminutive form of the personal name Paul, which was derived from the Latin name Paulus. It was common practice at the time to add the suffix "-y" or "-ey" to personal names to create surnames that identified individuals and families.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pauly can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This document mentions a landholder named "Paulinus," which may have been an early variant of the surname Pauly.

In the 13th century, the name Pauly appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts from Germany and France. For example, a nobleman named Henricus Pauly was mentioned in a document from the city of Cologne in 1274.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Pauly. One of the earliest was Johannes Pauly (c. 1450-1520), a German theologian and humanist who taught at the University of Leipzig. Another notable figure was François Pauly (1589-1651), a French painter and engraver who worked in the Baroque style.

In the 19th century, the Pauly family produced several influential figures. Jean-Baptiste Pauly (1808-1881) was a prominent French jurist and politician who served as a member of the National Assembly. Theodor Pauly (1818-1876) was a German scholar and editor who co-founded the famous Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft, a comprehensive encyclopedia of classical studies.

Another notable figure was Max Pauly (1849-1917), a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in Chicago, including the Auditorium Building and the Chicago Board of Trade Building. He was also responsible for the design of the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison.

The surname Pauly has also been associated with various place names throughout Europe. For example, the town of Pauley in Normandy, France, is believed to have derived its name from the surname Pauly. Similarly, the village of Pauli in northern Germany may have originated from the same source.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pauly

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

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

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

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