Paullus (ˈpaʊləs or ˈpɔːləs) is a Latin praenomen

Praenomen

The praenomen was a personal name chosen by the parents of a Roman child. It was first bestowed on the dies lustricus , the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the birth of a boy...

, or personal name

Given name

A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...

, used throughout Roman history. The masculine form was not particularly common at Rome, but the feminine form, Paulla or Polla, is one of the most common praenomina. The name was later used as a cognomen

Cognomen

The cognomen nōmen "name") was the third name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within...

in many families. It was not normally abbreviated, but is sometimes found with the abbreviation Paul.

The masculine praenomen Paullus was not widely used at Rome, but was used by gentes Aemilia and Fabia, which also used it as a cognomen. Both gentes had a long history of using rare and archaic praenomina. The name was probably more widespread amongst the plebeians and in the countryside. Many other families which used Paullus as a cognomen may originally have used it as a praenomen. The feminine form, Paulla or Polla, was one of the most common praenomina in both patrician and plebeian gentes, including the Aemilii, Caecilii, Cornelii, Flaminii, Fulvii, Licinii, Minucii, Sergii, Servilii, Sulpicii, and Valerii. The name has survived into modern times.

Origin and Meaning of the Name

Paullus is the Latin word for small. Chase believed that the name was originally a cognomen that was occasionally used as a praenomen, but this opinion seems inconsistent with the usual practice, and the frequency with which the feminine form of the name was used as a praenomen. Most, if not all praenomina had both masculine and feminine forms. The prominence of Paulla at all periods of Roman history seems to indicate that Paullus was originally a praenomen which had fallen out of general use, but which was still used from time to time.