Poulos
A Greek surname most often meaning “son of Paul” or “of Paul.”
The #7,093 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 65,384 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Poulos is a common Greek surname element and usually comes from the word for “son,” used in patronymic family names. In practice, it is often understood as a shortened or Hellenized form connected with the personal name Paulos, ultimately from Latin Paulus, meaning “small” or “humble.” So the surname is generally taken to mean “son of Paul” or “descendant of Paul.”
History
The name is especially associated with Greek naming traditions and appears in many Greek-American families. In modern usage it is often found as a standalone surname, though historically it can also appear in longer Greek forms built from the same patronymic element. Because Greek surnames were often standardized differently in diaspora communities, spellings like Poulos became common in English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The ending -poulos is one of the most recognizable surname endings from the Peloponnese region of Greece.