From the Roman family name Paulus, which meant "small" or "humble" in Latin. 保罗是早期基督教会的重要领袖. According to Acts in the New Testament, he was a Jewish Roman citizen who converted to Christianity after the resurrected 耶穌 对他而言. 之后，他作为传教士旅行了东地中海. 他原来的希伯来名字是 索爾。新约中的许多书信都是由他撰写的.Due to the renown of Saint Paul the name became common among early Christians. 它由许多其他早期圣徒和六位教皇承担. In England it was relatively rare during the Middle Ages, but became more frequent beginning in the 17th century. A notable bearer was the American Revolutionary War figure Paul Revere (1735-1818), who warned of the advance of the British army. Famous bearers in the art world include the French impressionists Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) and Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), and the Swiss expressionist Paul Klee (1879-1940). 它由英国音乐家保罗·麦卡特尼（Paul McCartney）（1942-）承担. This is also the name of the legendary American lumberjack Paul Bunyan.
