Paul
Name Origin & Meaning
From the Latin 'paulus' (small, little, humble). The Apostle adopted this Roman name alongside his Hebrew name Saul — making the name change from 'asked for' to 'small' a kind of spiritual autobiography. The most intellectually towering figure in the New Testament chose to be known by the name that means 'least.' He called himself 'the least of the apostles' and 'the chief of sinners,' embodying the name's meaning.
First Biblical Appearance
“And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?”
The Damascus road encounter — the moment the persecutor became the apostle.
Biblical Significance
Paul of Tarsus was a Pharisee and persecutor of the church who encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus and became the apostle to the Gentiles. He wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven New Testament books, planted churches across the Mediterranean world, argued brilliantly for justification by faith in Romans and Galatians, defined Christian love in 1 Corinthians 13, and set out the cosmic scope of Christ's work in Ephesians and Colossians. He was martyred in Rome under Nero.
Notable Bearers
- Paul the Apostle, formerly Saul of Tarsus
Personality & Character
Grace and divine freedom — the number of God's unmerited favour and transformative change
Spiritual symbolism drawn from Scripture and tradition
Modern Variants
A Blessing for This Name
May you, like Paul, have your Damascus road — the encounter so shattering and so glorious that everything you once counted as gain you count as loss compared to knowing Christ. May you fight the good fight, finish the course, and keep the faith.