Origin
Paul : 1: English French German Dutch Swedish West Indian (mainly Haiti also e.g. Saint Lucia) and African (mainly Nigeria and Tanzania): from the personal name Paul (from Latin Paulus ‘small’) which has always been popular in Christendom. It was the name adopted by the Pharisee Saul of Tarsus after his conversion to Christianity on the road to Damascus in about AD 34. He was a most energetic missionary to the Gentiles in the Roman Empire and played a very significant role in establishing Christianity as a major world religion. The name was borne also by numerous other early Christian saints. It is also occasionally borne by Jews; the reasons for this are not clear. In North America the English form of the surname has absorbed many cognates from other languages and their patronymics and other derivatives e.g. Greek Pavlis Slovenian Pavel and Pavlič (see Pavlic) Polish Paweł (see Pawel) and Pawlicki Assyrian/Chaldean Polous and Polus. In France this surname is most common in Brittany (see 2 below).2: Breton (mainly Finistère): from a Frenchified form of the personal name Paol Breton form of Paul.3: Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Phóil ‘son of Paul’. Compare McFall.4: Catalan (Paül): habitational name from any of several places called Paül.5: Spanish (Paúl): topographic name from paúl ‘marsh lagoon’.6: Basque: Castilianized form (Paúl) of a habitational name from Padul a place in Araba/Álava province Basque Country (Spain).
Austin : 1: English French and German: from the personal name Austin from Latin Augustinus a derivative of Augustus (see Augustin). This was an extremely common personal name in every part of Western Europe during the Middle Ages owing its popularity chiefly to Saint Augustine of Hippo (354–430) whose influence on Christianity is generally considered to be second only to that of Saint Paul. Various religious orders came to be formed following rules named in his honor including the ‘Austin canons’ established in the 11th century and the ‘Austin friars’ a mendicant order dating from the 13th century. The popularity of the personal name in England was further increased by the fact that it was borne by Saint Augustine of Canterbury (died c. 605) an Italian Benedictine monk known as ‘the Apostle of the English’ who brought Christianity to southern England in 597 and founded the see of Canterbury.2: English: variant of Aspden with which this surname became confused.
Barnaby : English:: 1: from the Middle English vernacular form of the Greek and Latin personal name Barnabas which was borne by the companion of St. Paul (Acts 4:36). This is of Aramaic origin from Aramaic bar naḅyā ‘son of the prophet’ although the Greek text of Acts 4:36 explains the name as hyios paraklēseōs ‘son of consolation’ or ‘encouragement’.2: habitational name from any of the four places: Barnaby in North Yorkshire Barnetby le Wold or Barnoldby le Beck (both in Lincolnshire) or Barnby in Suffolk. Barnaby in North Yorkshire is named with the Old English personal name Beornwald (composed of the elements beorn ‘young warrior’ + wald ‘rule’) + Old Norse bȳ ‘settlement farmstead’. Barnby in Suffolk is named with Old Norse barn ‘child offspring’ + bȳ meaning ‘children's farm’ perhaps for an estate divided by heirs.
Burian : 1: Czech and Slovak (also Burián); Hungarian (Burián); Polish and Romanian: from Burian Burián an old personal name apparently composed of bur ‘peasant’ a word of German origin (see Bauer and Bur) and the name Jan (Slovak Ján) ‘John’. In Czech the name Burian or Bur Jan denotes Saint John a Christian martyr who lived in the 4th century in Rome and is venerated together with Saint Paul. Compare German Burhans and the name below.2: North German: variant of Burhans formed with the personal name Jan ‘John’ in place of its cognate Hans.
Clement : English Catalan German Flemish and Dutch; French and Walloon (Clément): from the Latin personal name Clemens meaning ‘merciful’ (genitive Clementis). This achieved popularity firstly through having been borne by an early Christian saint who was a disciple of Saint Paul and later because it was selected as a symbolic name by a number of early popes. There has also been some confusion with the personal name Clemence (from Latin Clementia meaning ‘mercy’ an abstract noun derived from the adjective; in part a masculine name from Latin Clementius a later derivative of Clemens). In North America the English form of the surname has absorbed cognates from other languages especially Italian Clemente and also their derivatives.
Dima : 1: Romanian: from Dima a short form of the personal name Dimitrie from Greek Dēmētrios (see Dimitris).2: Italian (southern): from the personal name Dima probably from Greek Demas (see Dimas 2) the name of a man mentioned by the Apostle Paul in the Bible.3: Albanian: variant of Dhima and in North America (also) an altered form of this.
Garfit : variant of Garforth or Garthwaite. Redmonds Dictionary of Yorks Surnames shows that these names were much confused citing Edmund Garphet or Garforth from the 1704–6 parish registers of Skipton (WR Yorks); Paul Garthwait Garthfitt or Garfitt in the 1772–6 parish registers for Wath on Dearne (WR Yorks); and Anthony Garthwait Garfatt or Garforth in the 1752–7 Parish Registers for Slaidburn (WR Yorks).
Herod : 1: English: usually a variant of Herald (Middle English Herald Heraud Heroud). Occasionally the name may have been used as a nickname in allusion to the Biblical King Herod played as a bragging tyrant in medieval mystery plays or for someone who had an overbearing temper but evidence to support this possibility is lacking. Herod (Greek Hērōdēs apparently derived from hērōs ‘hero’) was the name of the king of Judea (died AD 4) who at the time of the birth of Christ ordered that all male children in Bethlehem should be slaughtered (Matthew 2: 16-18).2: American shortened form of Greek Herodiadis a patronymic from the classical personal name Hērodiōn. This was the name of a relative of Saint Paul and an early Bishop of Patras venerated in the Orthodox Church. Hērodēs ‘Herod’ is also found in Greek as a nickname for a violent man but this is less likely to be the source of the surname.
Mustafa : 1: Arabic: from a personal name based on muṣṭafā ‘chosen’ from ṣafā ‘to be pure to be select’. Bearers of this surname are mostly Muslims; for them Al-Muṣṭafā is an epithet referring to the prophet Muhammad while among Christians it is applied to Saint Paul. Compare Mostafa and Moustafa.2: Spanish (of Arabic origin): from the Arabic personal name (see 1 above).3: Italian: from the Arabic personal name (see 1 above) or a nickname from Calabrian mustafà ‘strong man with a walrus moustache’.4: Croatian: from the Turkish Muslim personal name Mustafa of Arabic origin (see 1 above). This surname originated as a nickname during the Turkish occupation of the Balkans.5: Slovenian: nickname for a man with long mustache from the singularized form of mustafe a word altered from mustače ‘mustache’.6: Albanian: from the Albanian Muslim personal name Mustafa or Mustafë (definite form Mustafa) of Turkish and ultimately of Arabic origin (see 1 above).
Palk : English (Devon): shortened form of Pollock with unrounding of the vowel to give Palk. Compare Polk and also Pulford. Derivation from a shortened form of the Middle English personal names Palcok and Palkin (pet forms of Paul) is formally possible but no evidence has been found to substantiate this.
Pauley : 1: English: perhaps from an unrecorded Middle English personal name Pauly or a pet form of Paul.4: German: variant or a derivative of Paul. Compare Poley.2: English (of Norman origin): habitational name from Pavilly (Seine‐Maritime France).3: English: shortened form of Paulin from the Middle English and Old French personal name Paulin (from Latin Paulinus a diminutive of Paulus see Paul).
Paulson : 1: English (Nottinghamshire): from the Middle English personal name Pole or Poul (from Latin Paulus modern Paul) + -son; see Paul.2: Americanized form (and a rare Swedish variant) of Swedish Paulsson: patronymic from the personal name Paul. Compare 3 below.3: Americanized form of Swedish Påhlsson or Pålsson: patronymic from the personal name På(h)l Swedish form of Paul. Compare 2 above.4: Americanized form of North German Danish and Norwegian Paulsen and Poulsen cognates of 2 above.
Pea : English:: 1: nickname from Middle English pa(we) po(we) ‘peacock’ (Old English pāwa and Old Norse pá). See Peacock. Alternatively from the Middle English personal name Pawe (Old English Pāwa) Latinized as Pavo and derived from the nickname.2: from the Middle English personal name Paw(e) a pet form of Paulin or occasionally Paul. See Pawson Paulin.3: perhaps from a Middle English survival of the rare Old English personal name Pæga or Pega.
Peveler : North German: from Middle Low German peweler pevler (from Paul) ‘Dominican (monk)’ hence a nickname for a person connected with the order or serving in a Dominican friary.
Polson : English (mainly Scotland): from the Middle English personal name Pole or Poul (from Latin Paulus modern Paul) + -son; see Paul.
Polwarth : from Polwarth (Berwicks). The place-name may be from the personal name Pol(e) (i.e. Paul rare in Scotland) + Old English worð ‘enclosure smallholding’.
Rodin : 1: Russian: patronymic from Rodya a short form of the personal name Rodion which is from Greek Hērodiōn the name of a relative of Saint Paul and an early Bishop of Patras venerated in the Orthodox Church.2: Jewish (from Belarus and Ukraine): metronymic from the Yiddish personal name Rode related to the Old Czech root rad ‘merry joyful’. It is formed with the Slavic possessive suffix -in.3: Jewish (from Belarus): habitational name from a place in eastern Belarus named Rodnya.4: Swedish: variant of Rodén (see Roden).5: Croatian: patronymic from a short form of Slavic compound personal names based on the element rod ‘family relatives’ e.g. Rodimir.6: English and Irish: variant of Roden and Rodden.7: In some cases possibly also French: derivative of Rode 1.
Sample : English (northeastern): of Norman origin a habitational name from any of numerous places in northern France named Saint-Paul or Saint-Pol for example in Pas-de-Calais Nord and Finistère so called from the dedication of their churches to Saint Paul.
Saul : 1: English French German Italian and Jewish: from the personal name Saul (Hebrew Shaul ‘asked-for’) the name of the king of Israel whose story is recounted in the first book of Samuel. In spite of his success in uniting Israel and his military prowess Saul had a troubled reign not least because of his long conflict with the young David who eventually succeeded him. Perhaps for this reason the personal name was not particularly common in medieval times. A further disincentive to its popularity as a Christian name was the fact that it was the original name of Saint Paul borne by him while he was persecuting Christians and rejected by him after his conversion to Christianity. It may in part have arisen as a nickname for someone who had played the part of the Biblical king in a religious play.2: English: variant of Sall.3: English and Irish: variant of Sale 2.
Sherin : 1: English: habitational name either from Sheering or Shearing Place in Belchamp Saint Paul (both Essex) probably from an Old English personal name Scīra + the groupname suffix -ingas.2: Irish: variant of Shearin.
St. Paul : 1: French (Saint-Paul): habitational name from any of several places in various parts of France named Saint-Paul (from the dedication of their churches to Saint Paul) or a nickname with the prefix Saint as an (ironic) attachment to the personal name or surname Paul.2: Haitian (also Saint-Paul): from Saint-Paul a nickname ornamental name or personal name composed of the French prefix Saint and the personal name Paul (compare 1 above). Compare Saintpaul.
Timothy : 1: English and Welsh: from the New Testament Greek personal name Timotheos from Greek timē ‘honor’ + theos ‘God’. This was the name of a companion of Saint Paul who according to tradition was stoned to death for denouncing the worship of Diana in Ephesus. This was not in general use in England as a personal name until Tudor times so insofar as it is an English surname at all it is a late formation (e.g. in Wales where surnames came into use only relatively recently). In North America this surname has in some cases also absorbed some of the various Greek cognate patronymics and other derivatives such as Timotheatos.2: Irish: adoption of the English personal name as an equivalent of Tumulty.
Tito : 1: Italian and Spanish: from the personal name Tito (from Latin Titus) which was borne by a disciple of Saint Paul who became bishop of Crete.2: Italian (southern): habitational name from Tito in Potenza province. Compare Lo Tito.3: Italian (southern): possibly also a nickname from Sicilian titu ‘small’.
Titus : 1: German English and Welsh: from the personal name (from Latin Titus probably Etruscan in origin). The name was popular in the Middle Ages since it had been borne by a disciple of Saint Paul who became bishop of Crete.2: German: from a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name (see Tittel 2).
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Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
FANBI : The Oxford Dictionary if Family Names in Britain and Ireland, ©2016, University of the West of England
FANBI : The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain, ©2021, University of the West of England
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