Fun Facts About the Name Pawel
- 449 babies named Pawel: U.S. records list 449 babies given the name Pawel from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Pawel Mean?
Pawel (Polish Paweł) is the Polish form of the name Paul, which comes from the Latin Paulus. In Latin, paulus is an adjective meaning "small" or "little," and Paulus served as a Roman family name, or cognomen. The literal sense of the name is therefore "small," with "humble" as the customary way the meaning is given.
The same name reached Polish through Greek as well, since the apostle Paul is called Paûlos (Παῦλος) in the New Testament. The usual explanation traces the Roman name to the Latin adjective, but because Paulus is attested as a family name early in Roman history, some reference works treat its deeper origin as uncertain.
English, French, and German use Paul; Italian has Paolo, Spanish Pablo, and Czech and Russian Pavel. The feminine Polish form is Paulina.
Pawel Name History & Origins
Names taken from the New Testament and from the saints entered Polish after the country's conversion to Christianity in 966, when Latin was the language of the church and of written records. The Latin Paulus was reshaped by Polish pronunciation and spelling into Paweł. The Polish letter ł stands for a sound close to English "w," so the name ends in a w-like sound rather than a clear "l."
Paweł is the Polish name of Saint Paul the Apostle, honored together with Saint Peter on June 29, with his conversion remembered on January 25. Churches dedicated to him were founded in Poland from the medieval period onward. Paweł was common enough in medieval and early modern Poland that it produced the diminutive Pawełek and the surnames Pawlak, Pawlik, and Pawłowski.
Czech and Russian Pavel looks similar and traces back to the same Greek and Latin source, but it developed along separate Slavic paths and is not a borrowing from Polish. Within Poland the name has stayed in steady, ordinary use across the centuries.
How Popular is the Name Pawel?
Pawel has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1994. Its best rank was #2,604 in 1994.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | #10,449 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #9,394 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #11,890 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #10,466 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #6,008 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #5,986 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #5,844 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #5,716 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #5,215 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2004 | #6,864 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #7,678 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #5,644 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2001 | #6,331 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #7,998 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #3,674 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1998 | #3,367 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1997 | #3,696 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1996 | #4,550 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #2,738 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1994 | #2,604 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 1993 | #2,759 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 1992 | #3,704 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1991 | #3,587 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 1990 | #4,908 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #3,964 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1988 | #4,098 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #3,905 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1986 | #4,741 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #4,597 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #3,869 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1982 | #5,457 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #4,076 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1980 | #7,015 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Pawel Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Pawel's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Pawel's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.