Pauly
A surname most often derived from the given name Paul, with a French or continental spelling.
The #9,969 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 95,439 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Pauly is generally a surname built from the personal name Paul, ultimately from Latin Paulus, meaning “small” or “humble.” In the historical surname record, it is treated as a French or continental form of Paul, sometimes compared with related forms such as Pauli and Paulin. The ending -y reflects spelling traditions in French and other European languages rather than a separate meaning.
History
Nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century surname dictionaries usually class Pauly with other patronymic surnames from Paul, especially French and German forms. The name appears in several continental variants and was later carried into English-speaking countries by migration. In the United States it is uncommon but established, consistent with importation from European surname traditions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some older surname writers noted that Pauly could be confused with Pauley, but both were usually explained as forms of “the son of Paul.”
From the historical record
“, Cp. Pawlett. PAULEY! the French Pauly, a (Jeriy. f, Lat. PAULY J Paulus through {a) a type Pauli-us, (b) the genit. Pauli : v. Paul. PA U LIN \the French Paulin = Paul (q.v.) PAULLIN J + the dim. suff. -in. Paulin de Basset. — Hund. Soils. PAULING = Paulin (q.v.) with added -^. PAULL, V. Paul.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)