Boy · Latin · New Testament

Paul

PAWL · from Paulus · means “Small, humble”

Paul comes from the Latin Paulus, meaning "small" or "humble." Once a zealous persecutor of the church named Saul, he was transformed by an encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus and became the New Testament's most tireless missionary and writer.

“But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel."”

The story behind the name

Saul of Tarsus hunted down Christians until a blinding light on the road to Damascus stopped him in his tracks and Jesus spoke directly to him (Acts 9:3-5). The Lord told Ananias that Saul was "my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings" (Acts 9:15).

The persecutor became the church's greatest missionary, planting congregations across the Roman world despite beatings, shipwrecks, imprisonment, and constant danger. He wrote much of the New Testament, always returning to grace: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20).

Paul's name, meaning small or humble, became a fitting description of a man who called himself the least of the apostles and yet accomplished more than perhaps any other. A boy named Paul carries a story of radical grace turning an enemy into a servant.

Middle names that sing with Paul

Chosen for rhythm and meanings that speak to each other.

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